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. 2 Joe Carter

“Touch ‘em all Joe. You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life.”

There hasn’t been a call that captured the magic of the moment more than Tom Cheek’s legendary words when Joe Carter hit the biggest home run in Blue Jays’ history. The image is etched in every Blue Jays’ fans' memories: Carter leaping up and down, fireworks exploding, fans rushing onto the field to celebrate the franchise’s second consecutive World Series title.

Carter arrived in Toronto in an almost equally franchise-altering moment two years before. He and Roberto Alomar were traded to the Blue Jays for franchise icon Tony Fernández and future Hall of Famer Fred McGriff in December 1990.

He then established himself as the most feared slugger the franchise had yet known. He hit at least 33 home runs in his first three years in a Blue Jays uniform. He drove in at least 100 runs every year. He twice finished in the top five in MVP voting.

The Blue Jays couldn’t have hoped for a better option to come to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 against the Phillies. The Blue Jays trailed 6-5 as the Phillies were threatening to send the series to the seventh game. Then Carter came up with two runners on to face Mitch Williams.

Carter was 0-4 in his career against Williams. The Phillies closer fell behind 2-0 before throwing a fastball that Carter took for a strike. Carter then made a weak lunge at a slider in the dirt as the count went 2-2. Williams shook off his catcher before throwing another slider. It was supposed to be high and away. It stayed low and in. Carter didn’t miss.

“When I made contact, I looked up and I couldn’t see the ball. All I saw was the bank of lights in left field. I knew I hit it good, but I didn’t know if I hit it high enough to get out. That’s what all the jumping was as I was going to first base: I was trying to see what the elevation of the baseball was and help it out of the park,” Carter reminisced to Sportsnet’s Evan Rosser 20 years later.

Carter’s three-run home run was only the second series-clinching walk-off home run in World Series history, and the first while trailing. “I was jumping up and down going to first base and the one thing I told myself was, ‘touch all the bases'”, Carter said. “I’m going along the bases, listening to fireworks, looking at all the fans, people running onto the field, knowing what had just happened.”

It was the pinnacle of Carter’s seven-year career with the Blue Jays, one that ensured a special place in franchise history. But even if the home run hadn’t happened, Carter would still be remembered as one of the greatest players to wear a Blue Jays uniform. The only year he didn’t eclipse 100 RBI with the Blue Jays was the strike-shortened 1995 season. In 1994, he was on pace for 150 RBI before the strike forced the cancellation of the rest of the season.

Carter hit 203 home runs with the Blue Jays, second to José Bautista and Vernon Wells among outfielders. He’s fourth in RBI. He was the first Blue Jays outfielder to eclipse 30 home runs in a season four times. His six seasons with at least 100 RBI are two more than any other outfielder in franchise history.

Carter will always be remembered for his series-ending home run, but he built a reputation for consistent production in the heart of a Blue Jays lineup that twice reached the top of the sport.