Jerar Encarnacion

Encarnacion debuted in grand fashion, becoming the first player since at least 1901 to hit a grand slam, record an outfield assist and steal a base in his first major-league game. The fun didn't last long, however, as Encarnacion was back in the minors a couple days later and would play only sporadically throughout later stints with the big-league team. He smacked 14 home runs in 68 games at Triple-A but did so with a strikeout rate close to 30% and that number jumped to close to 40% against big-league arms. The strikeouts may be too much to overcome for Encarnacion, who is 25 already. He probably needs more time back at Triple-A in what will be his final option year. The outfielder was added to the 40-man roster back in November of 2020. Read Past Outlooks