Jerar Encarnación

Jerar Luis Encarnación

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 250 lb.

• Debut June 19, 2022

• Born October 22, 1997 in Bayaguana, Monte Plata D.R.

BR page

Biograohical Information

Outfielder Jerar Encarnación had a memorable major league debut for the Miami Marlins against the New York Mets on June 19, 2022. Starting in right field, he went 1 for 4 and scored twice in a 6-2 win, but his first major league hit was a grand slam off Seth Lugo in the 7th inning that put his team ahead and provided the margin of victory. He also stole a base and recorded an outfield assist in the game, showing all facets of his considerable talent, and was just the second player in franchise history to hit a grand slam in his debut, after Jeremy Hermida (who had famously hit one in his first career at-bat in 2005).

The Marlins had had their eyes on him for a while before they signed him for a relatively paltry bonus of $78,000 in September of 2015. By this time, he was almost 18, after had going through the preceding international signing period without attracting any offers. While he had some tools, they were still very raw. His progression to The Show was delayed after a star turn in the Arizona Fall League in 2019 when he hit a grand slam in the championship game, following a season in which he hit .276/.331/.425 in 135 games at two Class-A levels. The Coronavirus pandemic then wiped out the 2020 minor league season, and a knee injury and a broken finger limited him to just 63 games in 2021, as other young outfielders passed him on the Marlins' organizational depth chart. However, he started 2022 with a bang, batting .358 in 31 games for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the AA Southern League before getting a first taste of AAA ball with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, where he continued to hit well. He was batting .313 with 13 homers in 57 games when he got the call to join the big club.

Further Reading

• Christina De Nicola: "Marlins prospect 'the whole package' in historic debut: Inspired by late brother, Encarnacion shows out with grand slam, outfield assist and stolen base", mlb.com, June 19, 2022. [1]

Related Sites

• Jerar Encarnacion on mlb.com