Former Blue Jay Edwin Encarnación to Open Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic
While the newest Toronto Blue Jays draw eyes, a former Jay made news on Tuesday.
Former Toronto slugger Edwin Encarnación will open a baseball academy on Wednesday in his home country, the Dominican Republic, per MLB Insider Héctor Gómez.
Encarnacion played 999 games across eight seasons for the Blue Jays from 2009 to 2016, receiving MVP votes four times and leading baseball in RBI in his final season as a Jay. He currently sits third in Blue Jays' all-time home runs, sixth in RBI, and third in OPS.
The opening of Encarnación's academy will be attended by DR President Luis Abinader, per Gómez, with the complex based in the municipality of San Antonio de Guerra, Santo Domingo East. Encarnacion stressed the importance of both baseball and education to Gómez when discussing the new academy.
“Our goal is that the young players who are in our academy become high school graduates," Encarnacion told Gómez. "Those who cannot sign with an MLB team, then they will have the opportunity to go to a university in the United States.”
Sitting at 424 career homers and chasing 500, Encarnacion looked to land with an MLB team last year but didn't play during the 2021 season. The first basemen and designated hitter last played in 2020, posting a .627 OPS with 10 home runs for the Chicago White Sox.
H/T Héctor Gómez
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Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon