Ranking the 10 greatest infielders in Blue Jays history

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 18: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates with teammate Edwin Encarnacion #10 after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians during game four of the American League Championship Series at Rogers Centre on October 18, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – CIRCA 1990: Tony Fernandez #1 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats during an Major League Baseball game circa 1990 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. Fernandez played for the Blue Jays from 1983-90, 93, 1998-99 and 2001. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Tony Fernandez

The best shortstop in Blue Jays history without a doubt is Tony Fernandez. In his 12 seasons in Toronto, Fernandez slashed .297/.353/.412 with 60 home runs and 613 RBI. He also tacked on 246 stolen bases.

In his first full season as a starter, Fernandez posted a .289 batting average with two home runs and 51 RBI. He did this while mostly hitting ninth in the order. After that, he became the full-time leadoff hitter and that move paid dividends for the Jays.

Fernandez is the only shortstop in Blue Jays history to win a Gold Glove award. His best defensive season came in 1989 when he had a 2.4 dWAR, a mark which was fourth in the American League.

He was a consistent 5 bWAR player which put him amongst the elite shortstops in the game. Fernandez was a guy the Jays could rely upon to make contact and play good defense. He did that consistently in his 12 years with the club.

Fernandez is the franchise leader in games played, defensive WAR, hits, and triples. He’s also second in bWAR, fifth in batting, and fifth in runs scored. He has his rightful spot on the Level of Excellence and is one of the best players to ever play for the Blue Jays.