Blue Jays finally give World Series hero Joe Carter his long overdue stadium honor

The plans for the Toronto Blue Jays' 50th season are off to an incredible start.

Toronto released a special video across its social channels on Monday Feb. 2 announcing that a statue will be installed at the Rogers Centre this July to commemorate the 1992 and 1993 World Series teams, with World Series hero Joe Carter as the focus.

Surprised by current Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro and former President Paul Beeston, Carter was moved to tears when the duo announced the news.

Blue Jays hero Joe Carter to be immortalized with statue at Rogers Centre this July

The statue will be unveiled to the public on July 18, before the Blue Jays take on the Chicago White Sox, and will be placed between Gates 5 and 6. Carter confirmed on the Blue Jays' social media feed on Monday that he'll be the featured image.

To accompany the statue reveal, the Blue Jays announced that on July 18, the first 15,000 fans to enter the ballpark will receive replica 1992 and 1993 World Series rings. Then, on August 10 (also to the first 15,000 fans), a replica of the statue will be given away.

With that said, what does that mean for the current statue of Ted Rogers that sits outside the Rogers Centre? For years, fans were left puzzled by Rogers' decision to place a statue of their most recognized president and CEO in company history in such a prominent spot. Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith stated on X (through a Rogers spokesperson) that the statue will be relocated to one of Rogers' corporate offices.

As nice as Rogers' gesture was, honoring the man who helped establish their company as one of Canada's biggest, the Rogers Centre was never the right place for that bronze memory. Rogers' purchase of the company in 2000 doesn't entirely define what the Blue Jays mean to the city of Toronto. It never did. Not having a statue of a critical Blue Jays figure outside the stadium was inexcusable and overdue. Better late than never, right?

Many important figures in franchise history deserve recognition for baseball fans to see as they pass by or enter the ballpark. Is this the first of many statues to come for the Blue Jays, in the same way the Toronto Maple Leafs have Legends Row just down the street? Only time will tell. For now, we'll happily take Joe Carter, who undoubtedly was the first deserving individual in Blue Jays history to get the honor.