5 reasons Edwin’s big bat is in high demand

Edwin Encarnacion is the most powerful bat on the free-agent market this offseason, and his consistent slugging in Toronto the past five years is sure to have multiple teams calling.

Encarnacion, who helped lead the Blue Jays to a second consecutive American League Championship Series appearance, is being featured here as part of an MLB.com series looking at five key stats about some of this year’s top free agents.

Though the No. 42 might be all some teams need to see (that’s how many home runs Encarnacion mashed in 2016), here’s a look at other noteworthy stats that might show what Encarnacion’s ’17 team can expect from him.

• Hot Stove Tracker

1. A powerful track record Encarnacion has been one of the most productive offensive players in the Major Leagues over the past five seasons. His 146 wRC+ since 2012 is the seventh-best mark in the Majors. Encarnacion is the only player in the Majors to hit 30-plus home runs in each of the past five years, and that includes two 40-homer campaigns. His 193 total homers in that span rank second in the Majors, behind only Chris Davis’ 197, and Encarnacion has hit more than 20 points better than Davis while striking out half as often. Encarnacion also has 18 multihomer games in …

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