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Blue Jays: Ranking the top five catchers in franchise history

By Chris Henderson

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 29: Russell Martin #55 of the Toronto Blue Jays makes the play and throws out the baserunner in the ninth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre on April 29, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 29: Russell Martin #55 of the Toronto Blue Jays makes the play and throws out the baserunner in the ninth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre on April 29, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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8 Jul 1999: Darrin Fletcher #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays walks with the bat during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 11-6.
8 Jul 1999: Darrin Fletcher #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays walks with the bat during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 11-6. /

#4- Darrin Fletcher

You could make an argument that O’Brien deserves to be higher on this list based on the WAR numbers, but I’ve placed Darrin Fletcher just above him.

Fletcher is a 14 year veteran of the big leagues, with the last five seasons coming in Toronto with the Blue Jays. He played with the team from 1998-2002, and quietly put together some solid seasons while he was in town. He was well known and liked around Canadian baseball circles as well, as he had spent six seasons with the Montreal Expos prior to signing with Canada’s other franchise.

He was excellent for his first three years with the Blue Jays, but his best season came in 2000 when he slashed .320/.355/.514 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI in 118 games played. He was worth 2.3 bWAR that season, and had accumulated 5.3 bWAR to that point through his first three seasons in Toronto. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to keep up the pace, and was worth just -0.3 over the next two campaigns, bringing his Blue Jay total to an even 5.0.

Fletcher played during an era of pretty explosive offence in baseball, so while the numbers he put up are somewhat easy to forget about, they’re impressive when you go back and re-visit them. He wasn’t a standout defender, but he consistently put up above-average defensive numbers. When you add that to the offensive contribution he brought to the table, you’ve got a quietly valuable player, which is exactly what he was during his time in Toronto.

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