Blue Jays: Who had the best offensive three-year stretch?

6. Edwin Encarnacion 2012-2014

Edwin Encarnacion had an interesting start to his career with the Blue Jays.  He was acquired at the Trade Deadline in 2009 from the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that sent Scott Rolen the other way.

During his 40-game audition that season he collected just 14 extra-base hits while posting a .240 batting average, which led to him being put on waivers and claimed by the Oakland Athletics that offseason.  Less than a month after being claimed by the Athletics he hit free agency and signed back with the Blue Jays.  Encarnacion struggled over his next two seasons, mostly on the field defensively and earned the mocking nickname “E5” because of his errors at third base.

In 2012, Manager John Farrell decided to remove Encarnacion from the hot corner permanently and he split the remainder of his time between first base and designated hitter, which led to the Blue Jays finding one of the greatest hitters in franchise history.  If we were looking at a list of players over a five-year span, there would be four players: Roberto Alomar, Jose Bautista, Carlos Delgado and Encarnacion, then there would be the rest.

The Blue Jays have had some great single seasons by individuals, but what players could put up consecutive seasons to really show their greatness?

The time frame between 2012-2014 was Encarnacion’s best three, which saw him average 37 home runs and 104 RBI with a .274 batting average and .916 OPS.  He would be named to the All-Star Game twice in that span, as well as received AL-MVP votes in both 2012 and 2013.  The time frame helped Encarnacion finish his time with the Blue Jays with third-most home runs trailing just Bautista and Delgado.