Blue Jays: Top-five greatest outfielders in franchise history

Trying to rank the best outfielders in Blue Jays franchise history is like trying to pick a favorite ice cream flavor or favorite tropical paradise.

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The first question isn’t who should be on the list, but who shouldn’t? George Springer has provided some magical moments since he joined the club, but he’s only been with the Blue Jays for two years. And there’s the recently departed Teoscar Hernández, whose impact on the club is best reflected in the tributes and memories that poured in when he was traded this offseason.

In the 1980s, the Blue Jays featured the iconic trio of George Bell, Lloyd Moseby, and Jesse Barfield. They played together in the outfield at Exhibition Stadium for nearly a decade, helping the franchise go from expansion punching bags to the cusp of the World Series. There can’t be room for all three of them on this list, though.

There are a select few who stood out from the rest, either with their power at the plate or elite defense in the field. Here are the five greatest outfielders in Blue Jays' history.

No. 5 Devon White

If Willie Mays has “The Catch,” then Devon White made The Catch, Part II.

Game 3 of the 1992 World Series, the first World Series game played north of the border, was still tied 0-0 in the top of the fourth inning when the visiting Atlanta Braves put two runners on with nobody out. David Justice then lined the first pitch from Blue Jays pitcher Juan Guzmán deep to center field. It seemed like the Braves were going to score at least one run on the play and potentially start a big inning. But then White made the defining play of the series, what is inarguably the most famous catch in Blue Jays franchise history.

White, running at full speed, turned his back to the field as he tracked down the ball. Looking over his shoulder, he leaped off his feet, nearly colliding with the 400-foot sign on the center field wall. He turned his glove as he crashed into the wall, making a miraculous backhanded catch as the Braves’ runners scrambled to get back. White quickly fired the ball back into the infield. Terry Pendleton, on first base, passed Deion Sanders at second and was automatically out, but the Blue Jays still threw to first to make sure. Sanders took off for third but was hung up by Kelly Gruber who, instead of throwing to second, ran to tag him out.

Gruber made a diving stab just as Sanders got back to second, appearing to catch Sanders on the foot. It would’ve been only the second triple play in World Series history, but second base umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe. The Blue Jays got out of what seemed to be a dangerous inning unscathed and ended up winning the game 3-2 on Candy Maldonado’s walk-off hit.

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It was the highlight of White’s five-year career with the Blue Jays, but not the only one for the Kingston, Jamaica native. The next year, White homered into the second deck in right field to tie Game 1 against the Phillies. He went 3-5 with four RBI in Toronto’s 15-14 Game 4 win, including a two-out triple in the eighth inning that drove in the winning run.

White established his reputation as one of the best outfielders of his generation in the field. He won a Gold Glove every year he played for the Blue Jays and finished with seven overall. Only Roberto Alomar has won as many in franchise history. He also had speed, eclipsing 30 stolen bases in a season three times with the Blue Jays. His 126 stolen bases are third among Blue Jays’ outfielders and sixth overall for the franchise. He was only caught 23 times, good for an 85 percent stolen base percentage.

He also had some power, twice hitting 17 home runs and driving in 60 runs on a loaded Blue Jays roster. But it’s his version of “The Catch” that will always be remembered in Blue Jays lore. “What’s actually more fun for me is I hear the story of the catch thousands of times or even more from people. It’s not just me telling the story. And it’s never really came out the same word for word from me each time, because everything was going so fast,” White told The Buffalo News 30 years later.

“You go back and you think about everything. I’ve always said that it’s not only the catch, it’s the throw and the rundown that makes everybody so excited. It would have been a triple play. But things could have changed so you never know. We’ll take what we have.”

Three decades after helping the Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series titles, White is still involved in the organization, serving as a coach with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons since 2017.

No. 4 Vernon Wells

Even after all the hits, all the home runs, and all the awards, Vernon Wells’ Blue Jays tenure is best remembered for one number: $126M.

Wells was coming off a 2006 season in which he eclipsed 30 home runs for the second time and 100 RBI for the third time when the Blue Jays signed him to a seven-year, $126M contract extension. It was at the time the sixth-largest contract in Major League history, a testament to Wells’ status as the face of the franchise following the departure of Carlos Delgado.

He never lived up to that contract, which became a burden the franchise could ill-afford. His batting average plummeted from .303 to .245 the following year. Not until 2010 would he hit more than 20 home runs in a season. He never again drove in 100 runs. The Blue Jays were finally able to get rid of the contract when they traded Wells to the Los Angels Angels for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera before the 2011 season.

But before that, Wells was a superstar in the making. He was just 20-years-old when he made his Blue Jays debut in 1999. In 2003, at the age of 24, he set a Blue Jays franchise record with 215 hits while hitting .317 with 33 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .909 OPS; Delgado is the only other player in franchise history to put up those numbers in a season. Three years later, he added 32 homers and 106 RBI on his way to his second All-Star Game selection.

Wells started 1,336 games in the outfield during his 12 years with the Blue Jays, the most in franchise history. He’s still the franchise leader among outfielders with 813 RBI and is second with 223 home runs. In the five-year span before the massive contract, he hit 139 homers and averaged a .835 OPS. He was also a graceful defender, winning three Gold Gloves with the Blue Jays.

His career began with so much promise, and while his contract became an albatross for the Blue Jays, he was still the cornerstone of the franchise for the better part of a decade.

No. 3 George Bell

Bell. Moseby. Barfield. It was a trio that defined the first decade of Blue Jays baseball, as the young franchise rose from the doldrums of the league into World Series contenders.

George Bell, along with his outfield partners Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield, helped the Blue Jays win their first division title in 1985. The image of Bell catching the clinching out and falling to his knees became the first iconic image for the franchise. Two years later, Bell made history as the first player in franchise history to win the American League MVP Award.

Bell’s 134 RBI in that 1987 MVP season is still a single-season franchise record for outfielders. His 47 home runs stood as a franchise record until passed by José Bautista in 2010.

Before the next season, though, Bell was involved in a dispute that threatened to tarnish his reputation as a Blue Jays icon. Manager Jimy Williams wanted Bell to switch from his usual left-field position and become the club’s full-time designated hitter. Bell balked at the idea, even refusing to come out of the dugout during a Spring Training game. The club fined him $500; Bell stopped talking to his manager.

Bell wasn’t on speaking terms with Williams, but on Opening Day, a warm, sunny afternoon in Kansas City, he let his play do the talking. Bell hit the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Bret Saberhagen in the second inning over the left field fence for a home run. In the fourth, he hit a 2-2 pitch into the grass in center for a two-run homer. He hit another in the eighth, becoming the first player in MLB history with three Opening Day home runs. Saberhagen, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, started 371 games over his 16-year career; Bell was the only player to hit three home runs off him in a game.

Bell’s production fell off from that historic start as he added just 21 homers the rest of the season. His relationship with Williams remained strained until the manager was fired 36 games into the 1989 season. Even decades later, Bell hadn’t forgotten what happened.

“I have nothing bad to say against Jimy. But sometimes when people touch your territory, you have to be a man. That’s what happened,” he said upon his induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bell left the Blue Jays as a free agent after 1990, playing his final three years in Chicago with the Cubs and White Sox. He finished his career in Toronto with 202 home runs and 740 RBI, trailing only Vernon Wells and Bautista in both categories. His .811 OPS is fourth among outfielders with at least 1,000 plate appearances.

No. 1 José Bautista

In August 2008, the Blue Jays made a trade that caught the attention of practically nobody across the league. They acquired José Bautista, a journeyman who had played for four different clubs in his five-year career, from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later. That turned out to be Robinzon Díaz, who hit just one home run in his career and soon was working as a bullpen catcher.

Bautista could’ve been claimed off waivers by any team before the trade to the Blue Jays became official, but there wasn’t much of a market for a career .239 hitter who had never hit more than 16 home runs in a season. So he became a Blue Jay and fell into the capable hands of Cito Gaston.

Gaston imparted a simple lesson to Bautista: start early. If you think you’re starting too early, then start earlier than that. Gaston got Bautista to refine his timing and unlock his power potential. In 2010, that potential broke out in a big way.

Bautista hit 54 home runs that season, nearly matching his previous career total and becoming the first player in Blue Jays history to reach the 50-home run milestone. He added another 43 homers in 2011; Bautista hit 18 more home runs than any other player in the league over those two seasons. A true superstar, one who nobody seemingly wanted earlier in his career, was born.

Bautista made six straight All-Star Game appearances with the Blue Jays. He and Carlos Delgado are the only Blue Jays to hit at least 40 home runs in a season three times. He’s the Blue Jays' all-time leader in WAR and trails only Delgado with 288 career home runs. His 766 RBI are third-most in franchise history behind Delgado and Vernon Wells.

As good as Bautista was for his first years in Toronto, the club didn’t make the postseason until 2015. In their first playoff series since the 1993 World Series, the Blue Jays fell behind the Texas Rangers 2-0 before forcing a decisive fifth game back at the Rogers Centre. Then, in the midst of the wildest and strangest inning the team had ever played, Bautista came up to face Sam Dyson with two runners on and the score tied 3-3.

On a 1-1 count, Bautista hit a fastball deep into the left center field seats. What happened after has lived on in Blue Jays lore, as Bautista stood at the plate admiring the majestic flight of the ball before tossing his bat high up in the air. The “Bautista Bat Flip” became the most iconic image for the franchise since Carter’s leap around the bases more than two decades earlier and further solidified his place in history.

Bautista left the Blue Jays after the 2017 season. He made his return the following year, this time as a member of the New York Mets, and received a rousing ovation from the Blue Jays faithful. “It feels great, it feels like nothing has changed,” he said upon his return. “It’s a good feeling to be back. Obviously, a lot of emotions and a lot of memories. You like to be able to enjoy those. It has been great so far.”

He was a mediocre talent bouncing around the majors before his journey took him to Toronto. With the Blue Jays, he became “Joey Bats,” a stunning story of transformation and redemption for a player who proved it’s never too late to start unlocking your true potential.