Blue Jays: Top-five greatest catchers in franchise history

No. 5 Darrin Fletcher

Darrin Fletcher, drafted by the Dodgers in 1987, signed with the Blue Jays in 1998 after spending six years establishing himself as an everyday catcher in Montreal with the Expos.

Fletcher was the No. 1 catcher for the club from 1998 to 2001 before he retired partway through the 2002 season. He was productive both at and behind the plate during his time in Toronto.

He improved offensively over his first three years in a Jays uniform. 1998, his age-31 season, was a down year in production by his standards, but he still managed to hit .283. He improved that mark in 1999, hitting .291 with 18 HR and scoring 48 runs while driving in 80.

His best offensive year as a Jay came in 2000 when he put up 2.8 WAR and an offensive value of 8.9. Through that campaign, he hit .320/.355/.514 with 20 HR, 43 R, 58 RBI and a 114 wRC+ through 122 games.

Defensively, Fletcher performed at the best and most consistent levels of his career while in Toronto. His defensive value rating in 1998 was 5.6, the second-best mark of his career. He rated at 4.4 the following season but went up to 5.6 again in 2000.

His best defensive year, both in his career and while with the Jays, came in 2001 when he put up an impressive 13.6 defensive value, ranking him ninth in the league among catchers.

Fletcher played in 540 games with the Jays, the third-most at catcher, and ranks fifth all-time with a 6.5 WAR.