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Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays named American League Player of the Week

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been named American League Player of the Week for the week ending May 11, 2014. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

In seven games last week, Encarnacion was tied for the Major League lead with four home runs and 10 RBI while pacing the A.L. with an .893 slugging percentage and 25 total bases. The La Romana, Dominican Republic native posted a .321 batting average last week, recording nine hits in 28 at-bats. Encarnacion also doubled twice, hit a triple and had five runs scored.

Encarnacion, a veteran of eight Major League seasons, clubbed his 200th career home run on May 8th as part of a two homer game as the Blue Jays defeated the visiting Philadelphia Phillies by a 12-6 tally. The right-handed-hitting slugger clubbed the milestone homer - his fifth of the season - in the second inning of the contest before hitting number 201 in the seventh frame. It was his first multi-homer performance since July 26, 2013 vs. Houston and it marked the 12th of his career. On May 7th, Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple and three RBI in a 10-0 victory over the Phils. He collected both extra-base hits during the Blue Jays' nine-run outburst in the bottom of the seventh, becoming the first player in franchise history to hit a triple and a home run in the same inning. Cleveland's Luis Rivas was the last Major Leaguer to accomplish the feat, doing so in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader at Seattle on September 26, 2007. The All-Star slugger currently leads the Blue Jays with 27 RBI on the season, which ranks seventh-best in the A.L. This is Encarnacion's second career weekly award, having won previously for the week ending October 3, 2010.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Seattle's Dustin Ackley (.368, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .842 SLG, .455 OBP) and Chris Young (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 14.0 IP, 5 SO); Elvis Andrus (.423, 11 H, 4 2B, .483 OBP) and Yu Darvish (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.2 IP, 12 SO) of the Texas Rangers; Cleveland's Michael Brantley (.357, 4 R, 10 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .679 SLG, .400 OBP) and Asdrubal Cabrera (.357, 6 R, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .679 SLG, .400 OBP); Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (.333, 6 R, 9 H, 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .704 SLG), Victor Martinez (.321, 4 HR, 7 RBI, .786 SLG) and Max Scherzer (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 15 SO, 14.0 IP); and Kansas City's Eric Hosmer (.452, 14 H, 3 2B, HR, 8 RBI, .645 SLG, .471 OBP).

In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Edwin Encarnacion will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.