Toronto Blue Jays legend Edwin Encarnacion falls off Hall of Fame ballot

On Tuesday night, the BBWAA elected Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

They will join former Blue Jays infielder Jeff Kent, who earned induction earlier this offseason through the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

However, Edwin Encarnacion's time on the Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame ballot has come to an abrupt end.

The former Toronto Blue Jays slugger failed to secure the minimum five percent of the vote required to remain on the BBWAA ballot, making his Hall of Fame candidacy a one-and-done outcome.

Encarnacion and Mark Buehrle were the two former Blue Jays included on this year's BBWAA ballot.

Encarnacion, appearing for the first time, received just 1.4 percent of the vote-six total ballots-falling well short of the threshold needed to advance to future ballots.

Buehrle, meanwhile, garnered 20 percent of the vote in his sixth year of eligibility and will return for a seventh appearance next winter.

Encarnacion's eligibility followed a 16-year major league career, highlighted by his breakout with Toronto beginning in 2010.

Over eight seasons with the Blue Jays, he established himself as one of the most dangerous power hitters in franchise history, posting an .878 OPS while blasting 239 home runs and driving in 679 runs.

He was named an American League All-Star three times during that span.

His place in Blue Jays lore is firmly secured. Encarnacion ranks third in franchise history in home runs, fourth in OPS, sixth in RBIs, and eighth in WAR (24.9).

He also maintained his production during Toronto's postseason runs in 2015 and 2016, slashing .280/.372/.480 across those appearances.

Perhaps his most iconic moment came during the 2016 American League Wild Card Game, when he delivered a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to defeat the Baltimore Orioles.

Encarnacion was not alone in falling off the ballot this year. Fellow first-time candidates Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Gio González, Alex Gordon, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Nick Markakis, Daniel Murphy, Hunter Pence, and Rick Porcello were also left off on Tuesday.

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