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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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PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 08: Manager Ernie Whitt of Canada watches from the dugout during the World Baseball Classic First Round Group D game against Italy at Chase Field on March 8, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 08: Manager Ernie Whitt of Canada watches from the dugout during the World Baseball Classic First Round Group D game against Italy at Chase Field on March 8, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

#1- Ernie Whitt

Let me make something clear here. When I said I was going to make an argument that Russell Martin was the best Blue Jay catcher of all-time, I hadn’t forgotten about Ernie Whitt. Admittedly though, I forgot just how good he was, which I think is a common theme for the Blue Jay of 12 seasons.

Whitt was a bit of a late bloomer, and didn’t become a full-time starter in the big leagues until he was 28 years old in 1980 with the Blue Jays. However, once he earned the job he was quietly excellent for the team, helping shape the franchise in the early years of it’s existence. He was an American League All-Star in 1985, but had arguably his best season in 1987 when he was 35 years old.

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That season he slashed .269/.334/.455 with 19 home runs, 75 RBI and 24 doubles. He was worth 2.6 bWAR that year (not his highest single season total), and played well on defence as well, earning a 1.5 dWAR rating as well. Most catchers are slowing down at that point in their careers, but for Whitt it was probably the best baseball of his career.

In total he managed 18.3 bWAR during his time as a big leaguer, but he actually earned 19.2 bWAR during his tenure with the Blue Jays. He was a key cog in the successful Blue Jays teams of the eighties, which doesn’t get the credit they deserve for making the postseason in 1985 and 1989. Perhaps if they had made the World Series in either year, or hadn’t been overshadowed by the success of the Jays in the 90’s, Whitt would be more appreciated for what he did on the field.

He is appreciated within Baseball Canada circles though, as he’s been the manager of the National team since 2004. He was also been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, and was honoured in the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame back in 1997. He also spent time as the bench coach and first base coach for the Blue Jays back in 2005, which was during John Gibbons‘ first tenure as the skipper in Toronto.

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There were a few others that I considered for the list like J.P. Arencibia (2.4 bWAR), and Buck Martinez (3.6 bWAR), but beyond that there haven’t been a lot of successful catchers in team history. That’s part of what makes Danny Jansen’s arrival with the Blue Jays so exciting, as the fans have hoped for a homegrown franchise catcher for many years. The only one on my top five list that started his career in Toronto was Pat Borders, so the organization is definitely due for success for one of their own.

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