Bats all! Encarnacion-Strand hits 471-foot homer

If competition does indeed breed success, Triple-A Louisville is in good hands.

After Elly De La Cruz smoked a 118.8 mph double before popping two lengthy homers on Tuesday, it was Christian Encarnacion-Strand's turn in the spotlight.

The No. 6 Reds prospect did not miss.

Encarnacion-Strand seemingly reached the city limits of Louisville in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Bats' 8-2 win Thursday night, slugging a 471-foot homer against visiting Columbus. The 23-year-old's eighth roundtripper cleared the fence, the berm and landed on a walkway just to the left of the batter's eye at Louisville Slugger Field.

Encarnacion-Strand had not gone deep since hammering a trio of long balls against Omaha on May 4.

The colossal clout equaled Brewers catcher Alex Jackson's mammoth blast for Nashville on April 4. Angels outfielder Trey Cabbage remains the leader in the clubhouse on the strength of his Ruthian-like 487-foot jack for Salt Lake on April 18, which also stands as the farthest in Triple-A or the Majors this season.

Encarnacion-Strand has proven his breakout 2022 campaign to be no fluke. Entering play Thursday, the Walnut Creek, Calif., native was slashing .364/.391/.712 with nine extra-base hits, including seven homers.

Now, he has eight.

Not to be outdone, Matt McLain and De La Cruz also joined in on the home run parade, McLain's coming directly in front of Encarnacion-Strand for his team-leading 12th long ball. Although his tater traveled a more pedestrian 386 feet, the fifth-ranked Reds prospect is tied for second in the Minors in homers, one behind the Angels' Jo Adell.

De La Cruz, who smashed a 116.3 mph homer on Saturday, has gone yard six times, including five in his last five games.

MLB's No. 7 overall prospect missed the first three weeks of the season with a left hamstring strain.