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Cincinnati Reds calling up Christian Encarnacion-Strand

The Cincinnati Reds are calling up another hot prospect from the minors, and he is starting out his big league career with an unusual claim to fame.

Jeffrey May
Jeffrey MayJeff_DiarioAS
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The Cincinnati Reds are calling up another hot prospect from the minors, and he is starting out his big league career with an unusual claim to fame.
Minda Haas Kuhlmann

The Cincinnati Reds have a smoking hot group of young prospects on their hands, with Elly De La Cruz already lighting up the league and Matt McLain laying claim to being a genuine five-tool phenom. Now they are going to add another one to the roster.

It is being reported that the Reds plan on calling up Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Louisville. The young man from San Francisco’s Bay Area was a standout third baseman at Oklahoma State before being picked up for a song by the Twins in the 2021 draft, going 128th overall.

Encarnacion-Strand went the JuCo route out of high school and was an All-American and Gold Glove winnner at Yavapai College before transferring to OSU. Since hitting the minor leagues, however, his rise has been meteoric, posting an eye-popping .322/.386/.604 slash line, with 56 home runs over 946 plate appearances in the last year and a half.

The Reds will have to do a bit of shuffling, since he is not yet on the 40-man roster, but he will add to an incredible set of young rising stars in Cincinnati. In the minors, Encarnacion-Strand has been played at first and right field in addition to his traditional third base, so there is the possibility that the Reds will use him in a utility role.

But as he comes into the Show, Encarnacion-Strand has already made history in one of the most bizarre categories imaginable. According to Sarah Langs at MLB.com, he is now the big-leaguer with the longest name in MLB history. His full name, including the hyphen, is 27 characters long, easily setting him atop the list. The next-best is Simeon Woods Richardson, whose full name encompasses 22 characters.

Longest full names in Major League history:

  • 1. Christian Encarnacion-Strand: 27 characters (debuting with 2023 Reds)
  • 2. Simeon Woods Richardson: 22 (2022 Twins)
  • 3(T) Luis Alexander Basabe: 20 (2020 Giants)
  • 3(T) Christian Bethancourt: 20 (2013 Braves)
  • 3(T) Fautino De Los Santos: 20 (2011 A’s)
  • 3(T) Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 20 (2007 Braves)
  • 3(T) Valerio De Los Santos: 20 (1998 Brewers)
  • 3(T) William VanLandingham: 20 (1994 Giants)
  • 3(T) Theodore Breitenstein: 20 (1891 St. Louis Browns)

So even if he bombs out of the game, and for what it is worth, that seems extremely unlikely, Christian Encarnacion-Strand has already made his mark on MLB history. Just try getting his name on a shirt.