Edwin Encarnacion: Ranking the DH Among AL East Designated Hitters

The AL East will see Wilson Betemit (Baltimore), David Ortiz (Boston), Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones (New York), Luke Scott (Tampa Bay) and Edwin Encarnacion act as designated hitters for their respective clubs this summer.

Here, we will rank the strength of each team's individual or pairing to determine who has a positional advantage over their division rivals.

The Blue Jays representative, Edwin Encarnacion, is poised for a career season, but will face stiff competition from his divisional counterparts.

5. Wilson Betemit, Baltimore Oriloes

Wilson Betemit will likely split time as the team's DH and utility fielder, filling in as he is needed.

Betemit is solid at the dish, boasting a career .269 average, .336 OBP and .448 slugging percentage. His line doesn't jump off the page, but it has been enough to keep him in the MLB consistently since 2004.

He has low-teens-power, and his addition to Baltimore's lineup does little to change the complexion of the team's bleak outlook heading into 2012.

Betemit ranks as the division's least effective DH heading into the upcoming season.

4. Luke Scott, Tampa Bay Rays

Former Oriole Luke Scott had a breakout year in 2010, smashing 27 home runs beside a .284 average, but recoiled in 2011, hitting nine home runs with a .220 average in an injury-shortened year.

Scott should be able to improve on last year's sub-par average in 2012 and will likely hit closer to his career .264 mark. His power should likewise return, making him a candidate for 20-plus dingers.

Scott can be quite threatening at the dish, but will play most of the season as a 34-year-old. There is nothing that says 30-somethings cannot be successful designated hitters, but don't expect Scott to post career numbers as a Ray.

Scott enters 2012 as the division's fourth-most effective DH. 

3. Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones, New York Yankees

The Yankees DH position will feature two former star outfielders long past their prime. Even so, the right-left batting combination of Jones and Ibanez form a legitimate threat to opposing pitchers.

Together, these two could put up 25 home runs for the Yanks. A combined .250 batting average and .340 OBP can also be expected.

While these numbers are not explosive, they are nothing to scoff at. 

However, at a combined 73 years of age, one cannot be certain how well this two-headed monster will hold up over a 162-game season.

That they work in rotation salves this problem in relation to potential injury. A potential fall-off in production, however, cannot be so well accounted for.

Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez form a tandem that ranks as the AL East's third-most effective designated hitter.

2: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays

Edwin Encarnacion hit 21 home runs in 2010. In 96 games. 

Predictably, this achievement induced some lofty expectations for the Dominican native heading into the 2011 campaign. Though Encarnacion posted all-around solid numbers last year, his 17 home runs were a bit disappointing.

A year later, the expectations have returned.

Few within the Jays organization expect Encarnacion to be an All-Star, but the feeling is he can be good for 20 home runs, 80 RBI and a .275 average in 2012.

These expectations are based largely on Encarnaicion's strong finish to the 2011 season and optimism.

The Blue Jay enters the 2012 season as the division's second-best DH.

1. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

Ortiz's production began quietly tailing off in 2008, but the Red Sox icon announced his return in a big way in 2011. "Big Papi" launched 29 long balls while hitting .309 and maintaining a terrific .398 OBP.

Conventional wisdom suggests that Ortiz exceeded expectations last year in part because he was playing for a new contract. That will suit Sox fans just fine, as a one-year deal signed during the offseason has decided that that will be the case once again in 2012.

At 36 years old, Ortiz's best days are behind him, but he continues to be one of baseball's best designated hitters. 

He enters the 2012 season as the division's top DH.

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Still to Come

Blue Jays: Ranking the Starting Five Among AL East Rotations

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Blue Jays: Ranking the Bullpen Among AL East Bullpens

Blue Jays: Ranking the Bench Among AL East Benches