The Brewers signed Encarnacion for $400,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2024 as part of the same international class that included Jesús Made and Luis Peña. While those two have soared through the system in the three seasons since, Encarnacion has worked at a methodical pace, though not in a bad way. He found early stateside success by hitting .289/.369/.463 with five homers in 48 games in the Arizona Complex League in 2025, prompting a promotion to Single-A Carolina in August. Full-season ball proved to be a bit of the deep end for him early on, but now in his age-19 season with Wilson, he’s taken off again in the Carolina League.
Encarnacion begins crouched in his left-handed-hitting stance before employing a leg kick in his load. By gearing up in such a way, he’s able to pull the ball often, and he’s done a better job of elevating on contact in his return to Single-A. Combined with a maturing 5-foot-11 frame, his in-game power numbers have jumped, backed by solid exit velocities for his age. Encarnacion doesn’t chase too often, but while he can manipulate the barrel pretty well, he will come up empty if he goes fishing on secondaries out of the zone, especially against southpaws.
Encarnacion will steal the occasional bag, but he isn’t much of a burner. The Brewers have moved him around the outfield plenty early on in his career, and while he’s still getting reps in center, he’s a better fit in the corners. His arm strength is more solid than standout, though he is accurate on his throws. Encarnacion may lack a true standout tool at this early stage, but he’s on the right trajectory to be a fourth outfielder/large part of a platoon.
