Toronto Blue Jays fans fired up to see team legend Edwin Encarnacion at Spring Training as guest instructor: "Stoked to see Eddie" "Love this man" 

Toronto Blue Jays players got a little blast from the past as three-time All-Star slugger Edwin Encarnacion visited the team's Spring Training camp Wednesday. Encarnacion, long a fan favorite in Toronto, played half of his 16-year major-league career with the Blue Jays and is still beloved among supporters of Canada's lone MLB team.

Encarnacion rose to prominence in Toronto by helping power the Blue Jays to a pair of American League Championship Series appearances in 2015 and 2016. They were the team's first trips to the playoffs since the World Series-winning seasons in 1992 and 1993.

Encarnacion came to the Toronto Blue Jays in a Deadline Day trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2009. He hit 239 home runs with 679 RBI for the Blue Jays before signing with the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the 2017 season.

Toronto fans were more than happy to see him back in blue.

Encarnacion's top moment in a Blue Jays uniform was arguably his three-run walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the 2016 AL Wild Card game, propelling Toronto to the AL Division Series. The Blue Jays swept the Texas Rangers in that series before falling to the Guardians in the ALCS. His contributions to Toronto have not been forgotten.

According to Canadian media outlet Sportsnet, Encarnacion and the Toronto Blue Jays will "explore a larger role with the club moving forward." More than a few Toronto fans have ideas about what role the slugger could serve long-term.

Might making Encarnacion a permanent coach be the move to put the Toronto Blue Jays over the top? The team is already among the favorites to win the AL Pennant and advance to their first World Series since 1993. Perhaps "The Parrot," as he was affectionately known by Blue Jays fans, is just what the team needs.

---

Toronto Blue Jays are one of the six teams Edwin Encarnacion played for

Edwin Encarnacion of the Cincinnati Reds poses for a portrait during the spring training photo day

Encarnacion was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the ninth round of the 2000 MLB June Entry Draft. As a minor-leaguer, he was traded to the Reds in 2001 and debuted in the majors with Cincinnati in 2005.

After eight years in Toronto, he played two years with Cleveland before finishing his career with the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox in 2019 and 2020.