Best Canadians to have ever suited up for the Blue Jays

When it comes to Canadians that have suited up for the Toronto Blue Jays over their 48 years of existence, there have been many that have put a dent into the franchise’s history. Whether it was Rob Ducey, the Butler brothers (Rich and Rob), Corey Koskie or even the more recent Dalton Pompey, they all played a role in telling the story of this franchise. But there has been only a select few that have managed to star for the team and significantly contribute to the Blue Jays winning and success.

With the celebration of Canada Day almost upon us, let’s take a look at the best players born in Canada to ever don a Blue Jays uniform.

Best Canadians to have ever suited up for the Blue Jays

Honourable Mentions

Outfielder Matt Stairs
Stairs spent parts of 19 seasons in the majors, but the Jays still had the luxury of his services towards the end of his illustrious career. In 230 total games with the club, Stairs batted a solid .270 with an .831 OPS, along with 100 runs scored, 32 home runs and 108 RBIs. Pretty strong numbers for someone entering age 40 at the time and has remained a fan favourite despite his short tenure with Toronto.

Outfielder Michael Saunders
Saunders may have only spent a short time with the Jays, but he sure made the most of it. Dealt to Toronto by the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2015 season, Saunders made his mark with the club in 2016 as their full-time outfielder after missing almost all of 2015 with a knee injury. In his only All-Star season of his career, he posted a .253 average, .815 OPS, together with 70 runs scored, 32 doubles, 24 home runs and 57 RBIs in 140 games.

Infielder Brett Lawrie
Brett Lawrie may not have ended up having the elite career many had envisioned, but the electric energy he brought with his hard-nosed play when he first joined the Jays in 2011 made him a memorable player during his time with the club. He had a spectacular debut in which he batted .293 with a .953 OPS, along with 26 runs scored, eight doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 25 RBIs and seven stolen bases in just 43 games in 2011. Lawrie showed great promise that he could do it all during that campaign, however, he would reach a plateau in the subsequent years and he ultimately will be remembered for helping the Jays land future MVP Josh Donaldson.

Now, to some of the big-time contributors for the franchise.

Pitcher Paul Quantrill - 1996-2001

Despite starting his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Paul Quantrill had his best seasons as a reliever with the Blue Jays between 1996-2001. He may have started out as a starter for Toronto, but they soon found that he was made for the bullpen. In his six seasons with the Jays, Quantrill amassed a 30-34 record and 15 saves, along with a 3.67 ERA and 334 strikeouts in 517 2/3 innings over 386 appearances that included 20 starts. As a constant workhorse, he even led the league with 80 appearances in 2001 and earned his first and only All-Star nomination of his career. Without Quantrill, let’s just say those dreadful years could have been even worse for the Blue Jays.

Catcher Russell Martin - 2015-2018

It didn't happen very often for the Blue Jays, or the city of Toronto for that matter, where a star player in their prime wanted to come home and play for their country or their city. But the Jays went out and made that happen during the 2014 offseason. They signed catcher Russell Martin to help carry both the pitching staff and the team to the postseason.

As a former Gold Glove, Silver Slugger winner and four-time All-Star, Martin was one of the best well-rounded catchers at the time. With the veteran backstop at the helm, the Blue Jays made two straight postseason appearances in 2015 and 2016. Martin put together 224 runs scored, 66 home runs and 211 RBIs in four seasons with Toronto, and he became one of the most popular Jays catchers of all-time.

Pitcher Jordan Romano - 2019-2024

His final season with Toronto may not have gone the way he would like, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that reliever Jordan Romano was perhaps the best closer the franchise has had in a long time. Over the course of six seasons, Romano may have brought some tense moments when closing out games but for the most part, he would lock it down and get the job done.

Romano’s 105 career saves with the Jays ranked him third all-time behind the legendary Tom Henke (217) and Duane Ward (121). With a 2.90 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 285 strikeouts in just 229 2/3 total innings in his tenure with Toronto, it might be a while before the Jays find the next one to succeed his throne. He may be starring with Philadelphia Phillies now, but Jays fans everywhere still miss him, especially his bullpen entrance.

1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

Finally, we have the player who may go down as the greatest Canadian to ever play for the Blue Jays by the time it's all said and done, franchise superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy was born in Montreal when his father was playing for the Expos, meaning Guerrero is pure true Canadian blood. As for his accomplishments to date, in his brief seven years in the big leagues so far, the young 26-year-old has been a four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and one-time Gold Glove winner, while finishing runner up to Shohei Ohtani for AL MVP in 2021. 

Not only that, Guerrero has helped the Blue Jays become a team of relevance once again, taking them to the postseason in three of the past five seasons. As a close to .300 hitter and .800+ OPS, along with averaging close to 30 home runs and 100 RBIs on a perennial basis over a full 162-game schedule, the Jays will look to the superstar to lead them on many postseason runs in the foreseeable future. With a contract set to expire in his late 30s, Guerrero will no doubt go down as the best Canadian to have ever played for the Blue Jays.