After adding ex-MLBer Victor Martinez to the coaching staff this winter, Toronto is reportedly expected to inject more slugging wisdom into the organization.
Edwin Encarnacion, one of the greatest Blue Jays players of all time, will join the club at spring camp next month, reports Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
Davidi also notes former Blue Jays pitchers Paul Quantrill and Pat Hengen will also help out as coaches. Quantrill, who pitched for Toronto from 1996-2001, will serve as a special assistant to baseball operations.
Encarnacion retired as a member of the White Sox in 2020 but is best known for some massive offensive seasons in Toronto. He played eight seasons with the Jays from 2009-2016 and currently sits third on the franchise's all-time home runs list, sixth in RBIs, and third in OPS. This also won't be the 40-year-old's first crack at coaching, as he opened a baseball academy in his native Dominican Republic two years ago.
The special assistant role is an ambiguous title, but it implies Encarnacion (and Martinez) will work with hitters in a hands-on role. Dante Bichette famously served as a special assistant in 2021, where he worked individually with hitters at the player complex in Dunedin, Fla., before traveling with the club to Toronto.
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