Blue Jays broadcasters and analysts: A look at their playing days

Before they became the voices you associate with Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts, these five individuals made their names on the field

Behind “swing and a drive”, the Sunday Roast, and your regular broadcasts on a Toronto Blue Jays’ game day are an experienced cast of former players turned broadcasters and analysts.

With a new generation of Blue Jays fans filling the Rogers Centre, it’s important to know the on-field history of the voices and faces that have become so familiar.

From Buck Martinez‘s heroics at home plate to Kevin Barker‘s massive numbers from the minor leagues and outside of the United States, let’s get up to speed.

Buck Martinez

1,049 games played over 17 MLB seasons
.225 AVG  –  58 HR  –  321 RBI

Known to newer fans as the play-by-play voice of the Blue Jays on Sportsnet television, Martinez has seen it all with this organization.

The 67-year-old was originally a second-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1967 but changed teams twice before his major league debut in 1969.

Martinez was selected by the Houston Astros in the 1968 Rule 5 Draft, then traded from Houston to the Kansas City Royals two weeks later. His first eight seasons were spent with the Royals, but Buck was still finding his way with the bat. In 361 career games with Kansas City, Martinez hit .222 with a .599 OPS.

In the offseason following 1977 he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for relief pitcher Al Hrabosky, but was then immediately flipped to the Milwaukee Brewers for reliever George Frazier. After three seasons with the Brewers, Martinez finally landed with the Blue Jays at age 32 in a deal for minor league outfielder Gil Kubski.

The remaining six years of his career were spent with the Blue Jays, where Martinez raised his OPS to .675. After his final season in 1986, Martinez got into broadcasting.

In 1985 came the play than many still remember from Martinez’s career: a double-play turned at the plate after suffering a broken leg in a hard collision.

He did find himself back in the dugout eventually, though, managing the Blue Jays in 2000 and 2001 after Jim Fregosi‘s tenure. The Blue Jays went 100-115 under Martinez.

He’s also picked up the pen recently, releasing a book entitled Change Up: How to Make the Great Game of Baseball Even Better.

The ‘Whoa’ Stat:

Despite not topping five home runs in a single season elsewhere in his career, Martinez posted back-to-back 10-homer campaigns for the Blue Jays in 1982 and 1983.

Next up, Buck’s right-hand man in the booth…

Next: Why Tabler was known as Mr. Clutch...

Pat Tabler

1,202 games played over 12 MLB seasons
.282 AVG  –  .345 OBP  –  512 RBI

Tabler enjoyed a very strong 12-year career after being originally drafted by the New York Yankees 16th overall in the 1976 MLB Draft (two picks ahead of Mike Scioscia).

It was a long road for Tabler through the minor leagues, though, and prior to his 1981 debut he was dealt from the Yankees to the Chicago Cubs. After two seasons of limited playing time, Tabler was traded to the Chicago White Sox, but on April 1st of that season, was flipped to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for infielder Jerry Dybzinski.

The Indians won that trade as Tabler started in Cleveland for five years and part of a sixth. Midway through the 1988 season he was dealt over to the Kansas City Royals for former San Diego Padres’ manager Bud Black.

After another deal landed him in New York with the Mets, Tabler finally landed with the Blue Jays prior to the 1991 season and ended his major league career with a World Series Championship in 1992.

You can catch Tabler on the left-side of the screen in the video below, where the champion Blue Jays give their own rendition of the Tomahawk Chop song…

Tabler’s career numbers are impressive, but what he’s most remembered for is his unbelievable ability to hit with the bases loaded. This earned him the nickname “Mr. Clutch”.

The ‘Whoa’ Stat:

In 109 plate appearances with the bases loaded, Tabler held a career line of .489 / .505 / .693 (1.198 OPS) with two career grand slams and just nine strikeouts compared to 11 walks.

His career average with runners in scoring position was .317.

Next up is the analyst (err…”Manalyst”) who most recently wore the Blue and White.

Next: The switch-hitting Zaun, working AB's and battling backups

Kevin Barker

126 games played over 5 MLB seasons
.249 AVG  –  .328 OBP  –  6 HR

Baseball Central’s Kevin Barker has seen more ball parks than you could count, and his career journey through the minor leagues, Mexico, and the Dominican is a fascinating one.

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round of the 1996 MLB Draft, Barker would stay with the organization through his major league debut in 1999 up until he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2002 for minor league catcher Dusty Wathan.

Barker bounced around the minor leagues for years, resurfacing at the major league level in 2006 with the Blue Jays and 2009 with the Cincinnati Reds.

Along the way, though, Barker played in the Mexican Pacific Winter League and Dominican Winter League. Below is footage from 2010 when Barker was playing in the Dominican (jump to 1m10s).

Some of the numbers he put up outside of the big leagues are downright impressive. He has a whopping 247 career minor league home runs with another 34 recorded in foreign leagues.

Playing his final year of professional ball at 35 with Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League, Barker hit .358 with a 1.048 OPS, driving in 79 runs in just 85 games. In his last season of triple-A ball, 2009 with the Lousville Bats, he launched 22 home runs with a .927 OPS in 101 games.

The ‘Whoa’ Stat

For his major league career, Barker is 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts!

Per Baseball Reference, Barker changed teams (through minors, majors, and foreign leagues) 29 different times in his career.

Last but not least, it’s Joe Siddall’s turn in the spotlight.

Next: The former Expo, and Jerry Howarth's radio-mate

Joe Siddall

73 games played in 4 MLB seasons

Some Canadian content lands on the list in the form of Joe Siddall, a native of Windsor, Ontario who currently teams with Jerry Howarth for radio broadcasts while occasionally joining the booth on the television side.

Another catcher, Siddall was signed by the Montreal Expos as an amateur free agent in 1987 but did not make his major league debut until 1993. He saw further big league action in 1995 with Montreal, 1996 with the Florida Marlins, and 1998 with the Detroit Tigers, giving him 158 career plate appearances.

He enjoyed a long minor league career, though, appearing in 869 games including 441 at the triple-A level.

Siddall’s strongest minor league season came north of the border with the triple-A Ottawa Lynx. The left-handed hitter posted a .360 on-base percentage in 57 games that season and drove in 16 runs.

He played well the year prior, too, with the triple-A Charlotte Knights as a member of the Marlins organization. Siddall appeared in 65 games that year, producing a triple-slash of .280 / .330 / .407 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 20 runs batted in.

Next: Should the Blue Jays start Biagini in 2017?

The ‘Whoa’ Stat:

One. Siddall has a single big-league home run to his credit, which came on August 7th of 1998 in his final year in the major leagues. The deep fly came off left-hander Jeff Fassero, a former Expo who pitched over 2,000 MLB innings.