3 Blue Jays long overdue for Hall of Excellence recognition

The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled their new Hall of Excellence on Saturday to celebrate their 50th season while inducting its newest member, Buck Martinez. The former player-manager-turned-beloved-broadcaster was honoured in a touching ceremony that immortalized him alongside the likes of Joe Carter, Roy Halladay, and José Bautista. 

Many of the franchise’s most important figures are already celebrated in this awesome exhibit at the Rogers Centre, but a few notable names are still missing. Here are three who should be enshrined as soon as possible: 

Who should be the next Hall of Excellence Inductees for the Toronto Blue Jays? 

Edwin Encarnacion

If Bautista was Michael Jordan for an era of Blue Jays baseball, then Encarnación was Scottie Pippen—meaning he was just as good in his own right. It’s high time he got the royal treatment for his stellar contributions. 

Encarnación crushed 239 home runs over his eight seasons in Toronto, averaging roughly 39 per season at the peak of his powers from 2012-2016. He also averaged 110 RBIs per year during that half-decade stretch. He was a run producer in every sense. 

Of course, excellence is about more than just piling up statistics. Encarnación also authored one of the most iconic moments in franchise history with his walk-off home run in the 2016 American League Wild Card game.

If that wasn’t enough, Encarnación has continued to make his presence felt in the Blue Jays dugout over the past few years. He can frequently be seen imparting his wisdom through conversation with hitters as a special assistant to baseball operations. He clearly still loves the Blue Jays and wants to do whatever he can to help them succeed. 

Jimmy Key

Key might be the most underrated pitcher in the history of the franchise—the time has come to give him his flowers and put him in the spotlight. 

Over nine seasons in Toronto, Key made two All-Star appearances and finished as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award in 1987 when he led MLB with a 2.76 ERA and 1.057 WHIP. Former Blue Jay Roger Clemens beat him out for the hardware. 

Key was also stellar in 1992 when the organization won its first World Series title. He, like everyone on that squad, will be a legend forever on that alone. He’s already a Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee—now he deserves a place in the Blue Jays’ new Hall of Excellence. 

Tom Henke

Long before Louis Varland was closing games for the Blue Jays, the man nicknamed “The Terminator” had the ninth inning—and it meant the game was over when he came out of the bullpen with a lead. 

Henke racked up 217 saves across eight dominant seasons as the Blue Jays’ closer, the last of which was 1992. He struck out 644 batters while maintaining a microscopic 2.48 ERA across 563 innings in blue. 

Don’t let the fact that he had just one All-Star appearance in Toronto fool you; Henke was as excellent as they come. He’s a champion who deserves to be enshrined alongside several of his former teammates. 

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