Blue Jays' World Series champion elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Legendary Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Devon White will headline this year’s induction class into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The class will also include former national team mainstay and current St. Louis Cardinals coach Stubby Clapp, former Women’s National Team star Katie Psota, and former Montreal Expos pitcher and executive Bill Stoneman.

Blue Jays' World Series champion elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Dedicated Baseball Canada executive Jim Baba will be inducted posthumously, while former MLB umpire Paul Runge was elected by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee. The group will be inducted in a ceremony on June 20th in St. Mary’s, Ontario.

White’s induction announcement has been a long time coming, as he’s one of the most beloved players on the Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series championship teams in 1992 and 1993. He made the most famous catch in team history, a running, leaping grab against the wall to rob David Justice of extra bases in Game 3 of the ‘92 World Series. The play should’ve led to the first and only World Series triple play in club history, but remains an indelible moment in the franchise’s lore. 

White joined the Blue Jays in a trade from the Los Angeles Angels in December 1990 and he immediately established himself as a force at the top of the lineup and as a defensive presence in center field.

Devo enjoyed his best season in 1991, hitting .282 with 40 doubles, 17 home runs, 10 triples, a .797 OPS, and 60 RBI. He also stole 33 bases and achieved a career-best 6.3 bWAR. He won the first of five consecutive Gold Glove awards that year and finished in the top-20 of AL MVP voting. 

The next season, White shone defensively again, earning the highest Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) in the majors, with 3.9. He also had a strong offensive campaign, with a career-high 42 doubles and a .779 OPS on his way to his second All-Star Game selection. He remained a key member of the Blue Jays through the 1994 and ‘95 seasons before departing for the Florida Marlins in free agency. He still holds a spot in the top 10 of many statistical categories, including stolen bases (134), stolen base percentage (84.6%), and triples (34).

Since retiring in 2001, White has remained connected to baseball as a minor league coach. He’s also stayed connected to the Blue Jays organization, working as a special assistant to player development.