Why Doesn't Edwin Encarnacion Get More Credit?

You're third in the MLB in home runs. Ninth in OPS. Fifth in SLG. I'd say you are a pretty good ballplayer, and that you are widely known around baseball, as the buzz keeps swirling around on how well you are doing. Edwin Encarnacion has had this success this season, but his success has been relatively quiet, as compared to other players such as David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Davis, and other major leaguers around the country in my opinion. Why is that? He's done an impressive job this season, but I feel he should get a lot more credit around all of major league baseball, not just Toronto itself. 

Encarnacion was an all star this season. He has posted a .276/.375/.542 three slash line with 36 homers and 104 RBI. His WAR is 4.1, another impressive number, as he continues to deliver when it is needed for the Blue Jays. Compare him to Chris Davis, whose .295/.378/.652 three slash line isn't all that better, although the SLG is ridiculously higher. Davis has homered 48 times, and driven in 124, which puts his WAR at 6.4, much higher then Encarnacion's. But, Encarnacion has a higher SLG then Joe Mauer, Jose Bautista, Robinson Cano, and Adrian Beltre to just name a few. 

So why doesn't Edwin Encarnacion get more attention in the baseball world? Without Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis' monster seasons, I'd think it should be a toss-up between him and Mike Trout for AL MVP. He's put up great numbers, and continues to slug it out for Toronto. I think he doesn't get the recognition he needs because he plays in Toronto itself. Since he's playing in Canada, obviously, he doesn't get enough "U.S." news from baseball reporters here in the States. His lack of recognition could also be because of the overshadowing of Jose Bautista in his lineup. Encarnacion should be overshadowing Bautista anyway. If you compare their WARs, they both stand at 4.1. Encarnacion's OPS, however, stands at .917. Bautista's stands at .856.

All in all, I think Edwin Encanarcion has played as good as anybody in the American League, and isn't getting the credit for it. I think he should be watched more closely and given more credit than how much he is worth as a player. He has been a great player this season, and I feel that Edwin Encarnacion just isn't being treated like one. But that's just my opinion.

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