Toronto Blue Jays: All-Time Leaders in Home Runs

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the youngest franchises in Major League Baseball. Despite their youth, Canada’s own has had some prolific home run hitters.

Established in 1977 along with the Seattle Mariners, the Toronto Blue Jays stand as the fifth youngest franchise in Major League Baseball. Toronto has the best home run hitting team of this decade, hitting 1635 home runs since 2010.

The Toronto Blue Jays are perhaps the best expansion team in MLB history. Of the 30 MLB teams today, 14 are expansion teams. Those include the Blue Jays, Rays, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, Mariners, Brewers, Padres, Nationals, Royals, Mets, Astros, Rangers and Angels.

Six of those teams have won a World Series, with only four winning multiple World Series, including the Blue Jays, Mets, Marlins and Royals. Toronto trails just the Los Angeles Angels in all-time winning percentage for expansion teams, .498 to .501.

Overall, the Blue Jays have faired quite nicely. With 2017 being their 41st season in existence, the Toronto Blue Jays have crafted some pretty high profile home run hitters.

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Despite playing for the Toronto Blue Jays for eight seasons, Ed Sprague was not a consistent presence on the ball field as most of his success came in a short period. His 27.9 AB/HR ratio is the second worst on this list and his 18.3% strike out rate is the fifth worst among Blue Jays batters with 3000 or more at-bats.

In fact, 27% of Sprague’s home runs were blasted during one season in 1996. ’96 was easily Sprague’s best season as a Blue Jay as he slugged 36 home runs, brought in 101 RBIs and was walked 60 times. All of those stats were career highs for Sprague.

Despite a very solid 1996, Sprague was never an All-Star as a Blue Jay. His lone All-Star appearance came in 1999 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, failing to win any accolades during his career. For the most part though, Sprague created a decent resume for the Blue Jays as, along with owning the 15th most home runs, he ranks:

• 22nd – FanGraphs WAR – 4.8


• 23rd – Hits – 773


• 15th – RBIs – 418

Sprague also led the American League with 15 hit by pitches in 1995, becoming just the second Blue Jay ever to accomplish the feat.

Most memorable home run: Go ahead two-run pinch hit home run in the ninth inning of game two of the 1992 World Series. 

Kelly Gruber’s dominance as a Toronto Blue Jay was relatively short lived, but while it lasted, Gruber was one of the best players in the MLB. Gruber had four good seasons during his 10-year career with 1989 and 1990 standing head and shoulders above the rest.

Like Sprague, a good amount of Gruber’s home runs as a Blue Jay occurred in one season. Gruber slugged 31 home runs in the 1990 season, good enough for 27% of his career total as a Blue Jay. In that same 1990 season, Gruber finished fourth in AL MVP voting behind Rickey Henderson, Cecil Fielder and Roger Clemens.

Gruber also took home his lone Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award, along with being named to his second career, and consecutive, All-Star Game. Outside of the four-year stretch from 1988 to 1991, Gruber slugged a measly 29 home runs in five other seasons with the Blue Jays.

However, what Gruber will likely be remembered for is his performance on April 16, 1989, when he became the first Blue Jay to hit for the cycle. As a Jay, Gruber ranks:

• 15th – WAR – 14.5


• 13th – Triples – 24


• Ninth – Stolen Bases – 80

After his nine-year stint with the Blue Jays Gruber was traded to the California Angels. Due to neck and shoulder injuries, he played just 18 more games before hanging it up.

Most memorable home run: Game tying solo home run in the eighth inning of game three of the 1992 World Series.

Shawn Green may be better remembered as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the slugging outfielder certainly left his mark on the Toronto Blue Jays. Green started his career north of the border, playing five whole seasons with the Blue Jays before leaving to don a different shade of blue.

Green was a consistent role player for the Blue Jays before breaking out during his last two years with the team. From 1995 to 1997 Green hit a combined 42 home runs, 152 RBIs, and a .285 batting average.

However, in 1998 and 1999 Green flipped the script and turned into the menacing force that Dodger fans grew familiar with in the early 2000’s. Green hit .293, hit 77 home runs and drove in 223 RBIs over those two seasons. The slugging outfielder finished ninth in MVP voting, taking home both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award in the process.

While Green did hit 43 more home runs as a Dodger, his numbers as a Blue Jay are impressive. Overall, he ranks:

• 22nd – WAR – 10.6


• 20th – Doubles – 164


• Seventh – Batting Average (>2500 PA) – .286

In 1998, Green became the first ever Toronto Blue Jays player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. The next man on the list was the second.

Most memorable home run: A 449-foot blast on April 22nd, 1999, that was the fifth homer ever to reach the fifth deck in the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). 

The only other player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season for the Toronto Blue Jays is Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz accomplished the feat in 2001, three years after Green did it in 1998. Much like Green, Cruz’ Blue Jays career was filled with consistent, slightly above average production that spiked in a two-year stretch.

Cruz was traded to the Blue Jays halfway through his first season. Toronto sent Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric to Seattle for Cruz, who still holds the record for the most rookie home runs, playing for two teams (26).

In fact, Cruz’ rookie home runs eclipsed his total amount of home runs in the next two seasons combined. Cruz slugged a combined 25 home runs in 1998-99, missing 113 games in the process. Then, Cruz hit a combined 65 home runs the next two years.

Cruz was elected the Blue Jays’ team MVP in 2001 after slugging 34 home runs, swiping 32 bags and hitting to a career best .274. Overall, in just 698 games played with the Jays, Cruz Ranks:

• 11th – Stolen Bases – 85


• 16th – Walks – 316


• 21st  – WAR – 10.9

Cruz has quite the baseball lineage. His father, Jose, and uncles Hector and Tommy Cruz all played in the big leagues. The father-son duo combined for a 71.3 WAR.

Most memorable home run: 100th career home run that was the first of two on the day against the Angels on August 11, 2001. 

The fact that Fred McGriff is heading into his ninth year on the ballot and he hasn’t received more than a quarter of Hall of Fame votes is sad. While McGriff may not be a bonified Hall of Famer, he certainly deserves the nod and should be far closer to the 75% mark.

McGriff had a very short tenure with the Blue Jays, yet his stats rank up with the best. The ten batters ahead of him have all had 3700 or more plate appearances, but McGriff had just 2322 plate appearances.

McGriff had four full seasons with the Blue Jays to start his career, setting the table for a great career. McGriff slugged 20, 34, 36 and 35 home runs in his four years with Toronto. Despite this, McGriff did not garner a single All-Star appearance, only winning a Silver Slugger award in 1989.

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The – hopefully – Hall of Famer ranks fairly well on the Blue Jays in limited time:

• 13th – WAR – 19.7


• 11th – Intentional Walks – 31


• Second – OPS (>2000 PA) – .919

McGriff would go on to hit 493 home runs, drive in 1550 RBIs and hit .284 in his 19-year career. However, due to today’s reliance on sabermetrics to determine Hall of Fame players, we may never see McGriff enshrined in Cooperstown.

Most memorable home run: First ever home run hit by any player in the SkyDome on June 5, 1989. 

The greatest catcher to ever suit up for the Toronto Blue Jays also hit the tenth most home runs in franchise history. Ernie Whitt was one of the original Blue Jays to get drafted in the 1977 Expansion Draft after serving one year with the Red Sox. Despite playing in just 23 games that season, Whitt went on to be the longest tenured original Blue Jay, playing until 1989.

The story of Whitt’s career was never dominance. Whitt was not a star in his time, making just one All-Star Game in 1985. Still, this great backstop was the perfect model of consistency and reliability. Nine of Whitt’s seasons consisted of 11-19 home runs. He never broke 20 and he never drove in more than 75.

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Whitt is not the most memorable name by any stretch, but he is the franchise leader in WAR for catchers. No other backstop even comes close, as Whitt’s WAR triples the next best WAR. Overall, he ranks:

• Ninth – WAR – 21.8


• 15th – Hits – 888


• 11th – Plate Appearances – 3977

Now, the American born Whitt is the manager of the Canadian National Baseball team. Whitt was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame back in 2009.

Most memorable home run: Ninth inning grand slam that gave Toronto the lead against the Red Sox. Down 10-7 at the time, Toronto came back from a 10-0 deficit in the last three innings. 

A more modern slugger makes the list, as Adam Lind is the first player on this list to play primarily in the 2000’s. For younger Blue Jay fans, Lind is a very familiar face as he gave Blue Jay fans something to cheer about in some pretty bad years. Despite putting together a winning record twice, Toronto finished fourth or worse in the AL East from 2008 to 2013, Lind’s best years.

Lind enjoyed a nice five-year stretch of baseball in which he slugged 118 home runs, drove in 385 RBIs and scored 301 runs. Lind’s best season was easily 2009, in which he finished 15th in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger. That season, Lind posted a career best in home runs and RBIs. He slugged 35 long bombs, drove in 114 and hit .305 on the season.

However, what ultimately held Lind back was his long history of injuries. Lind missed 191 games in his last four seasons as a Blue Jay. If he had played, let’s say 150 of those, he could easily have hit the 175 home run mark.

Lind ranks fourteenth in RBIs and 24th in home runs for a single season due to his 2009 campaign. Overall, in his nine-year Blue Jays career, he managed to rank:

• 12th – Doubles – 196


• 10th – RBIs – 519


• 12th – Hits – 931

Lind is still enjoying the limelight of the MLB, as he looks to win a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals. After spending one season in Milwaukee and Seattle, Lind has become a bench presence for the Nationals, hitting .304 in 211 plate appearances.

Most memorable home run: His third home run of the game in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox on September 29, 2009. Boston went on to hit Lind in his next at-bat.

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Jesse Barfield made up one-third of Killer B’s outfield in Toronto during the ’80s. Barfield played right field, Lloyd Moseby played center and the next person on this list, ironically, was the left fielder.

Barfield was a menacing slugger in his day, earning one all-star trip and one Silver Slugger during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only was he good offensively, but Barfield also set the bar in the outfield. The right fielder won two consecutive Gold Glove awards in 1986 and 1987 due to a cannon arm that even leaves Yasiel Puig in awe.

Barfield slugged 23 or more home runs in one season five times as a Blue Jay. His best season, 1986, he slugged 40 home runs, drove in 108 RBIs and hit .289 – all career bests. Barfield is one of nine players to hit 40 or more home runs in one season for the Blue Jays.

The power-hitting, rocket throwing right fielder has a good presence on the Blue Jays all-time rankings. He ranks:

• First – Outfield Assists – 117


• Ninth – RBI’s – 527


• Fourth – WAR – 29.6

Due to his long, powerful swing, Barfield’s kryptonite was his tendency to strike out. Of batters with 3500 plate appearances, Barfield has the worst strike out rate, striking out 22.1% of the time he was at the plate.

Most memorable home run: Walk off three-run home run in the bottom of the tenth on April 17, 1985. Toronto was trailing the Texas Rangers 1-0. 

Ironically, the third member of the Killer B’s is the sixth best home run hitter in Blue Jays history, giving the outfield trio the sixth, seventh and eighth ranks. Bell was obviously the most prolific home run hitter of the trio and was one of the league’s best players in the mid-’80s.

Bell had a five-year stretch with the Blue Jays in which he hit at least 24 home runs each season. In those five seasons, Bell slugged 156 home runs, drove in 521 RBIs and hit .291. Bell was third in the entire league in both home runs and RBIs during that span and was sixth in total hits.

This offensive prowess that Bell possessed led to a number of accolades. Bell was a two-time all-star with the Blue Jays, won three consecutive Silver Sluggers from 1985-1987 and won the 1985 AL MVP. In the ninth season in franchise history, the Blue Jays had their first ever MVP. The organization would not see another winner until Josh Donaldson in 2015.

Bell not only was the best slugger for the Blue Jays in the ’80s, he is one of the best to ever do it in Toronto. He ranks:

• 12th – WAR – 20.2


• Fourth – RBIs – 740


• Fifth – Hits – 1294

Bell is one of just six players with at least 4500 plate appearances in franchise history. Three of the other five rank ahead of him on this list.

Most memorable home run: Three home run game on Opening Day in 1988. Bell was the first to ever hit three on Opening Day, a feat that has only been accomplished twice since. 

Two-time World Series Champion Joe Carter will forever be etched in Toronto Blue Jays’ history books. Like many on this list, even though the slugger did not start his career with the Blue Jays, Carter saw the best years of his career north of the border.

Carter slugged 396 home runs in his 16-year career, 203 of which came with the Toronto Blue Jays. For the most part, Carter was a consistent menace in Toronto, slugging 20 or more home runs in each of his seven seasons. Of the seven, Carter managed to hit 30 or more home runs four times, driving in over 100 RBIs every time.

Carter’s best years were from 1991-1993. In that span, Carter slugged exactly 100 home runs (33,34,33), drove in 348 RBIs and scored 278 times himself. Carter finished in the top five for AL MVP in 1991 and 1992 and won the World Series in consecutive seasons in ’92 and ’93.

Overall, Carter made five all-star teams with Toronto while winning two Silver Slugger awards. The World Series hero ranks:

• Fifth – RBIs – 736


• Seventh – Doubles – 218


• Ninth – Runs – 578

Carter did not make the Hall of Fame, only receiving 3.8% of votes on his first ballot in 2003, low enough to get dropped. However, he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame that same year.

Most memorable home run: World Series winning three-run home run in game six of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Vernon Wells was a staple of the Toronto Blue Jays for nearly the entirety of the 2000s. Wells was a part of the Blue Jays when mediocrity was the standard. The team was not bad by any stretch, but they did fail to make the postseason and went 890-891 from 2000 to 2010. Again, not terrible, but just immensely mediocre.

Wells was one of the most consistent sluggers in the entire league during the 2000’s. The outfielder hit more than 20 or more home runs seven times from 2002-2010, three of those times hitting more than 30. Wells crossed the 100 RBI plateau three times, while also winning three Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger and making three all-star teams as a Jay.

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Wells’ 24.3 WAR in that time span was the 47th best in baseball and best amongst Blue Jays. Despite only playing 33 games in 2000 and 2001, Wells had the most home runs, RBIs, runs and hits for the Blue Jays from 2000-2010. Overall, he ranks:

• Fifth – WAR – 24.6


• Second – RBIs – 813


• Second – Hits – 1529

Although Wells has his place in Blue Jays history, it was wise that Toronto traded him to the Angels after the 2010 season. Wells was owed a lot of money and only posted a 0.7 WAR in his two seasons with the Angels.

Most memorable home run: Home run off of Jamie Moyer on June 27, 2010. This was the 506th home run allowed by Moyer, the most all-time. 

Despite ranking third on the Blue Jays all-time home run list, Edwin Encarnacion is perhaps the most prolific home run hitter to ever suit up for Toronto. Let me explain.

Encarnacion slugged 239 home run in 999 games played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2009 to 2016. After playing half a season in Toronto in 2009, Encarnacion’s yearly home run totals are as follows: 21, 17, 42, 36, 34, 39 and 42. From 2012-2016 Encarnacion hit 193 home runs, the second most in that time frame behind Chris Davis (197).

Every other Blue Jay to hit 149 or more home runs all had at least 1032 games played. Encarnacion hit a home run every 17.6 plate appearances as a Blue Jay, better than any other player with at least 4000 plate appearances. Had Encarnacion had as many plate appearances as the leader on this list, he would lead the organization with 342 home runs.

However, with Encarnacion now on the Cleveland Indians, he will never be able to surpass the two men ahead of him. In the time he was with Toronto, he ranks:

• Sixth – RBIs – 679


• Eighth – WAR – 23.0


• Fifth – Walks – 477

In 128 games played with Cleveland Encarnacion has slugged 30 home runs, making him the MLB’s leading home run hitter since 2012.

Most memorable home run: Three-run walk off home run in the 11th inning against Baltimore to send the Blue Jays to the 2016 ALDS. 

The only active player on this list, Jose Bautista is the second best home run hitter in Toronto Blue Jays history. The 36-year-old veteran has slugged 285 home runs for the Blue Jays in just over nine seasons played. Bautista has been the face of the franchise in the 2010s and will go down as one of the best Blue Jay to ever play the field.

Bautista reinvented himself in Toronto after being traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008. After playing a reduced role in 2009, Bautista jump started his career in 2010. The slugger hit an MLB best 54 home runs in 2010, five less than he had hit in the six seasons prior.

The power surge did not stop. Bautista again led the league in home runs with 43, continuing to hit 130 home runs in the four years following. If Bautista hadn’t missed a combined 114 games from 2012 to 2013, he likely would have hit 25 more home runs, putting him at 310 for his Blue Jays career (assuming he played 100  of the 114 games).

Bautista is already the greatest Blue Jays position player to ever play. He ranks:

• First – WAR – 35.5


• Third – RBIs – 756


• Sixth – Hits – 1084

Bautista has had a very decorated career, with all his accolades coming with the Blue Jays. Altogether, Bautista has six all-star appearances, three Silver Sluggers and two Hank Aaron Awards.

Most memorable home run: Infamous bat flip home run to give the Blue Jays the lead in the seventh inning of game five of the 2015 ALDS. 

Carlos Delgado was the face of the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Delgado made his MLB debut on October first, 1993. Delgado recorded just one at-bat and was not included on the playoff roster, thus not being a part of the World Series winning team. The slugger did not win a single World Series in his 17-year career.

However, Delgado still served as the face of the franchise and, to this day, is still the best slugger ever to do it for the Blue Jays. Delgado’s first full season with Toronto came in 1996 and from there he hit at least 25 home runs in every season played. In fact, Delgado is one of just six players to hit 30 home runs in ten straight seasons.

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Delgado’s best season, hands down, was 2003. The first baseman slugged 42 home runs, drove in a franchise record 145 RBIs and hit .302. Unfortunately for Delgado, young shortstop Alex Rodriguez beat him in AL MVP voting. Overall, Delgado made just two all-star teams and won three Silver Sluggers.

While Bautista may be the best overall position player of all-time due to his better fielding, Delgado has to be the best hitter ever. He ranks:

• First – RBIs – 1058


• First – Runs – 889


• Third – Hits – 1413

Delgado went on to hit 473 home runs in his career, making him one of 36 players all time with 450 or more home runs and 2000 or more hits.

Next: Top five postseason moments in Blue Jays history

Most memorable home run: 300th home run on September 25, 2003, against the Devil Rays. This was the first of four home runs on the day for Delgado.