Toronto Blue Jays Poll: Greatest Players of All Time Rd2

Matchup 5: Edwin Encarnacion vs George Bell

This pair of sluggers from the Dominican Republic have slugged their way into the hearts of Blue Jays fans. And, they are very close to each other on the list for most home runs in Blue Jays’ franchise history.

Toronto Blue Jays

George Bell received 93% of the vote in Rd 1. He is 5th all time with 202 HR, which he hit over 9 seasons with the Blue Jays. He’s 3rd all time with 740 RBI, 5th all time with 1294 hits and 6th all time with a SLG mark of .486. He is a 3 time All Star who won the MVP award in 1987, the franchise’s first such honor. He would also finish in the top 10 3 other times.

Bell put up 20.3 WAR as a Blue Jay. His best season came in that MVP season where he put up 5.3 WAR. Now, aside form his rookie year, he never put up positive defensive numbers. But, his offense was his calling card. He’s a career .191 ISO hitter who never went up to the plate looking for a walk as evidenced by his career 5% walk rate. Though, for a slugger, his K rate of 11.7% is low.

Encarnacion (who received 765 of the vote in Rd 1) has turned into a more patient and more powerful version of Bell. His career walk rate is 11.9%. His career ISO is also higher at .228. He’s played 6+ season with the Blue Jays and sits just 5 HR back of Bell with 197. He should pass that mark in 2016. EE is also 8th in RBI with 552 and 4th in SLG at .521.

As a Blue Jay, Edwin has hit 30+ HR three times and 40+ once. He’s also driven in 100 runs 3 times. He’s put up 18.8 WAR in his time with Toronto. His best season came in 2015 when he was worth 4.5 WAR. There is no arguing his offensive contributions. But, like most of the hitters on this list, his glove has been questionable. We all remember the terrible showing at third base. Now that he’s moved to the 1B/DH role, his bat is flourishing.

The next matchup pits two dominant relievers against each other!

Next: Matchup 6: Squints vs Terminator