Toronto Blue Jays Best Home Run Hitters of All Time

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Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone loves the home run. Heck, Nike ran one of the most popular baseball commercials ever based on the obsession with the long ball. The Toronto Blue Jays have developed a rich history of hitting the long ball. Despite having some great pitching come through the city of Toronto, they’ve developed quite the reputation for being heavily reliant on the long ball. Whether it was the 80’s, the 90’s or well into the next century, the Blue Jays have compiled a great list of big boppers.

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Now, it should be noted that Toronto’s domed stadium has become quite the haven for hitters. It is widely known as a good park to hit in. Its rather even dimensions lend itself to putting the ball in the cheap seats. Whether it is from a towering 5th deck moon shot or a line drive that just barely scrapes the wall in LF, there have been a number of bombs launched over the years.

We’ve seen some very good hitters adorn the Blue Jays’ uniform and enjoy the confines of SkyDome/Rogers Centre. They’ve delighted us with some awe inspiring blasts and some very magically timed shots too. So, we thought we’d take a look at the best home run hitters the Blue Jays have ever trotted out there. Let’s get to it.

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Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Edwin Encarnacion

It may come as a surprise that Edwin has propped himself right up there among the best home run hitters in Blue Jays history. His career with the club didn’t get off to such a great start. Fans were booing every time he touched the ball at third base. The club had given up on him. But, letting him go and return (this time as a 1B/DH) allowed the Blue Jays to tap into his power.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

He has clubbed his way into 6th place on the all time home run leader board with 197. He sits just 5 behind 5th spot. Assuming he spends a few more years in Toronto, he could climb up that list even further. Since joining the club, he’s had 21, 17, 42, 36, 34 and 39 home run seasons.

Edwin might be the epitome of a home run hitter in that it is very obvious when he is in a streak. His whole demeanor changes at the plate. When he is hot, he has one of the best eyes in the business. He hits everything hard and drives the ball very well. His power is palpable. His career ISO sits at .228, but has been as high as .280 in 2015 where he also put up a HR/FB rate of 19/9%. His career rate is 14.9%.

Edwin owns several memorable home runs, three of which came on the best game of his career where he connected for a total of 9 RBI. It is also the day EE learned what a “hat trick” is as fans celebrated his 3 bombs by throwing their hats on the field. We will also remember his home run in the 2015 ALDS in Game 5 against the Texas Rangers.

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1985 Celebration- S Doyle

George Bell

Bell sits in 5th spot on the Blue Jays all time HR list with 202 long balls. He was arguably the first true home run threat the franchise ever had. Bell wasn’t exactly a patient man at the plate with a career walk rate of just 5%. But, he didn’t strike out a lot, either. His 11.7% mark is quite impressive for a guy who put up 20 or more home runs 8 times in his 12 seasons.

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From 1984 through 1988, Bell hit 26, 28, 31, 47 and 24 taters respectively. This was right smack dab in the middle of the Blue Jays’ first dynasty. The mid to late 80’s featured some great baseball and Bell was  matched up with fellow outfielders Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield to create one of the best outfields this franchise has ever seen.

Bell would go on to play 3 more seasons after he left Toronto. He finished his career in Chicago, one year with the Cubs and 2 with the White Sox. He would hit 53 more home runs in those final years. But, we will always remember him as the Blue Jays’ LF slugger. The image of him crashing to his knees when he caught the final out to give the Blue Jays their first AL East title ever will be something that is imprinted in the brain of every Blue Jays fan.

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Joe Carter Level of Excellence- S Doyle

Joe Carter

Carter sits in 4th place on the Blue Jays all time home run list. It is a bit odd given that he’s only played 7 full seasons with the club. But, those 7 years were in the middle of a very consistent stretch of long balls. From 1991 through 1997, Carter hit 33, 34, 33, 27, 25, 30 and 21 bombs. Through that period, he showed the consistency that made the trade for him less of a risk.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

Fans will recall that he was brought to Toronto in the franchise altering trade that also brought Roberto Alomar from the San Diego Padres for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff. At the time, Carter had 5 seasons under his belt of 24 or more home runs. Indeed, he was the home run threat the Blue Jays hoped he’d be. Now, Carter is a career .259 hitter with an ISO of .205. He wasn’t the monster home run kind of guy, but he had quick hands that allowed him to barrel up often enough.

One of those occasions ended up to be the greatest moment in Blue Jays history. He took an inside pitch from Mitch Williams of the Philadelphia Phillies over the left field wall in 1993 to win the World Series in walk off fashion. It was the first time a World Series had been won outside of the US and it happened to be the club’s second world championship. As special as it was, it was oddly familiar as the type of home run Carter would hit.

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Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Vernon Wells

The previous members of this list came to the Blue Jays in different ways. Vernon Wells is an example of a guy who was drafted and brought up by the Blue Jays. The argument can be made that he just might be one of the last position players to be a sure bet as far as this organization drafting and developing young players goes.

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Wells came up to the Blue Jays in 1999, but saw his first full season in 2002. When all was said and done, he would end up with 223 home runs for the Blue Jays, which is good for 3rd all time. His position may be in jeopardy with Encarnacion well within reach, though. But, for now, Wells is one of the best home run hitters this club has ever seen. From 2002 through 2006, he had 5 consecutive season of 23 or more home runs. He hit a career high 33 in 2003.

In December of 2006, Wells signed the richest contract in Blue Jays history (7yrs/$126M) as a reward for his then elite performance. Indeed, he was one of the premier center fielders in the game and was putting up solid numbers at the plate. Wells is a career .270 hitter who only struck out 13.3% of the time. As with Carter, his ISO numbers were never through the roof (career .189) but he had a knack for popping one into the seats often enough that the Blue Jays hoped he’d stick around for a while.

Of course, that contract’s apparent value faded quickly and fans soured on paying him so much. He was getting hurt and his numbers were declining. The GM at the time, Alex Anthopoulos managed to work some magic and unload Wells’ contract to the Angels in a trade in the winter before 2011. While many remember disdain for Wells and his contract, we should not forget the good times. He was a premier hitter and defender for the Blue Jays and ranks as one of the best home run hitters in club history.

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Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Bautista

We cannot discuss the Blue Jays’ best home run hitters without talking about one of the more prolific ball destroyers of the present day. Jose Bautista sits in 2nd place on the Blue Jays’ all time list with 243 round trippers. He holds the franchise record for home runs in a single season with 54. Seemingly out of nowhere, he has become one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

Since he came over from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008, he seems to have discovered his home run stroke. It took some adjustments to his timing to unleash the full effect of those quick hands. But, with some work with manager, Cito Gaston, and hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy he was able to get that timing down. Since then, he’s been a force.

From 2010 through 2015, he has not hit any fewer than 27 homers. He’s hit 35 or more 4 times in 6 seasons. And, that is what is so remarkable about Bautista’s spot on this list: he’s done it in such a short time. And, he’s done it seemingly out of nowhere. His ISO had never been above .173 at the big league level. It now sits at .240 for his career.

The rapid turn around had some people crying foul and suggesting that he’d been taking some sort of performance enhancers in order to make such a jump with the bat. He has always denied this claim and has been tested umpteen times with never a positive result. Thankfully, those baseless accusations have died.

Instead, we get to enjoy the pure awesomeness of a Bautista blast. There really is nothing like his line drive home runs. He has his share of no doubters, too. But, when he shoots one over the wall in LF, the scoreboard lights up before the opposition even knows what hit them. Perhaps none of his home runs will be remembered more than his 7th inning shot in the 5th game of the 2015 ALDS. Of course, his blast in Game 6 of the following ALCS was equally impressive.

Despite being with the club for a relatively short time and coming out of nowhere with his power, Bautista has managed to leave quite the mark on Blue Jays record books. He sits in 2nd place all time and holds two of the more important home runs in club history.

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Delgado on Level of Excellence Credit: S Doyle/Jays Journal

Carlos Delgado

In the interest of full disclosure, Carlos Delgado was my first true favorite player. Up until 1994, guys like Bell, Moseby and Barfield were names I’d heard of and thought were pretty good. But, Delgado, man. He was what got me hooked on the long ball. He burst onto the scene in 1994 and hit 7 home runs in April. This, of course, was on the tails of the Blue Jays’ 2nd consecutive World Series title and so all eyes were open and focused on this club.

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From 1996 through 2004, Delgado would not hit any fewer than 25 homers in a season. He was the pillar of consistent power from the left side of the plate. His ISO was impressive throughout his time in Toronto ranging from .219 and peaking at .320. He’s a .280 hitter who holds the most homers in team history. His total of 336 is attainable, but will take Bautista a couple more years, at least, to match.

Delgado also is first in team history with 343 doubles, 2786 total bases, 889 runs scored, .556 SLG,  1058 RBI, 827 BB, 690 extra base hits, 6018 plate appearances and 39.1 Offensive WAR.

He was a once in a generation bat that the Blue Jays just couldn’t build a winner around. It is unfortunate. Delgado had a beautiful power stroke that absolutely crushed the ball. Perhaps, a great example of this was when he hit 4 home runs in a game in 2003 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Delgado would go on to hit 137 more blasts for the Florida Marlins and New York Mets. He found himself on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2015, but did not receive enough support to remain. However, he can say that his name was on the ballot. That is an accomplishment few can claim. And, we can claim that we watched Carlos Delgado swat his way into top spot on the Blue Jays All Time Home Run Hitters List.

*Leader Lists via BaseballReference.com

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