A six-foot-two, 160 lb. right-handed outfielder from Las Matas de Farfan, DR, Juan Encarnación made his professional debut in 1994 at the age of 18 in the Detroit Tigers system. After turning 19, Encarnación started showing what he was capable of.
In 1995 with the Fayetteville Generals, in the Single-A South Atlantic League, Encarnación hit 16 homers with 72 RBI in 124 contests, while slashing .282/.336/.486. Moving up to the High-A Lakeland Tigers in the Florida State League the following season, Encarnación repeated his success, with 15 homers, a .240/.290/.401and 58 RBI in 131 games.
1997 would see Encarnación pump up his output at the Double-A level with the Jacksonville Suns in the Southern League.