Top 5 catchers in Blue Jays franchise history by WAR

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a memorable collection of catchers throughout their team history. The then-young duo of Alan Ashby and Rick Cerone did the heavy lifting at the position over the first three years of the franchise’s existence. 

Ernie Whitt was on the inaugural roster but saw scant playing time in the bigs in 1977 and 1978. He became the starting backstop in 1980 and was a mainstay there for a decade, providing stability at that spot not seen since. Whitt's catching partner for five years has become one of the most cherished figures in Jays' lore, Buck Martinez. 

His legendary tag at home plate moments after suffering a broken leg is unforgettable. Martinez became a star in the broadcast booth but had a decent backup before that and enjoyed a 17-year MLB career. 

Pat Borders was in blue from 1988-1994 and was the starting catcher on the back-to-back World Series-winning teams in ‘92 and ‘93. He hit a career-high 13 home runs and won World Series MVP in the first title year. Charlie O’Brien became the first MLB catcher to wear the now-common hockey-style mask and enjoyed his best season in 1996.

Darrin Fletcher played the last five years of his career in Toronto and reached career-highs of 20 homers in 2000 and 80 RBI in 1999. J.P. Arencibia had one of the best debuts possible, with four hits and two home runs, and displayed impressive power. Ultimately, a low batting average and high strikeout rate doomed his time in T.O. 

In recent years, the Blue Jays' depth at the position has been abundant and has traded Gabriel Moreno and Reese McGuire and let Luke Maile walk in free agency. As much criticism as the Moreno trade has generated, the current combo of Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk is one many teams would love to have. Here are the top five catchers in terms of WAR (bWAR). 

#4 Danny Jansen 8.1 WAR

Danny Jansen quickly showed his ability to put a strong swing on display once being called up late in the 2018 season. In his first month in the majors, the 23-year-old hit .333 (12/36), including his first MLB homer and five doubles. 

Although he’d cool off in September, Jansen proved he belonged in the big leagues and showed why he was a highly-rated prospect. In a 31-game cameo, "Jano” hit .247 with three homers, eight RBI, and a 0.6 WAR. 

The following year would be challenging for the Blue Jays, and Jansen similarly experienced some growing pains. The batting average slipped to .207, but his power flashed again with 13 home runs. He threw out a career-high 19 would-be base stealers at a 31% clip, played in 107 games, and produced a 1.1 WAR. 

The 2020 season was another tough one for many reasons, but the team started tuning things around and finished 33-27, good enough to qualify for a re-imagined playoff format in a short season. Jansen hit .183 with six homers, 20 RBI, and a 0.7 WAR. He notably went deep twice in his first career playoff game, an 8-2 loss to the Rays.

Over the last three seasons, a similar pattern has emerged with Jansen. He’s displayed awe-inspiring power but has struggled to avoid injuries. Since the 2021 campaign, Jano has hit 43 home runs despite playing an average of just 76 games per season. He’s embraced a pull-heavy, power-swinging style and has had several extended hot-streaks 

Jansen’s best season was 2022 when he hit a career-best. 260 with 15 homers, 44 RBI, an.855 OPS, and a 2.9 WAR. With his next home run, he’ll tie with Russell Martin for the second-most home runs hit by a catcher in franchise history.

3. Russell Martin 8.3 WAR

When Russell Martin signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the Blue Jays, a nation erupted in joy. The transaction and the trade for Josh Donaldson signaled that the franchise was ready to compete after a playoff drought that spanned two decades. 

The veterans brought presence and accountability to the Jays, and the team responded with one of their best seasons ever. Martin’s first season in Toronto was his best in blue as he hit .240 with 23 home runs (tied with J.P Arencibia for the most by a catcher in team history), 77 RBI, and a 3.2 WAR. He also threw out a league-best 44% of runners attempting to steal, the highest mark of his career. 

The Jays were contenders in 2016, and Martin was at the forefront of their success. His numbers slipped a bit, but he still went deep 20 times, drove in over 70 runs, and produced a solid WAR of 2.0. Surprisingly, Martin only threw out 11 of 72 attempted base-stealers, the lowest career rate.

The team started to change the following season, and the competitive window had closed, and injuries limited Martin’s effectiveness and his time on the field. For the first time since 2010, he played in fewer than 100 games. Although he played less, Martin showed more versatility, appearing in ten games at third base. 

2018 was Martin’s last year in Toronto, and it felt like the end of an era. Jose Bautista was already gone, John Gibbons managed his last game in blue, and Donaldson was on his way out. Martin played 21 games at third base, three at shortstop, and even one in leftfield. Gibbons even let him manage the final game of the season.

2. Gregg Zaun 10.8 WAR

By the time Gregg Zaun came to the Blue Jays in 2004, he was 33, in his tenth season. He was expected to add depth and some veteran experience gained through being a part of six different MLB teams. 

The ‘04 team struggled, going 67-94, but Zaun took advantage of his best opportunity for steady playing time.  Playing in the most games of his career, he enjoyed one of his best seasons, hitting .269 with a career-high 24 doubles, six homers, a .761 OPS, and a 2.3 WAR, and also threw out a respectable 28% of attempted base-stealers. 

Toronto made a 13-win improvement in 2005, and Zaun had his best season and reached career-highs in games played, hits, runs, and RBI. The Blue Jays signed Bengie Molina as their starting catcher in 2006, and the duo’s production contributed to another seven-win improvement that season.  Zaun embraced his role as a backup and occasional DH and hit a career-best 12 homers, with a .825 OPS and a 3.6 WAR.

Zaun parlayed that into a two-year free-agent deal to stay in T.O., undeterred by the fact that the team was also pursuing Rod Barajas, whom they’d sign two years later. Zaun’s most memorable moment with the franchise was a walk-off grand slam in an extra-innings win over the Rays in 2008. 

Zaun was a self-made player and worked hard to get a chance to start. Once that happened, the crafty veteran was at his best with the Blue Jays and is one of the most underrated at he position in franchise history. 

1. Ernie Whitt 19.4 WAR

Some fans may not know that Ernie Whitt was a charter member of the 1977 Blue Jays, and that’s because he didn’t get many opportunities to play. The coaching staff preferred to go with the tandem of Alan Ashby and Vic Cerrone, and Ernie got into just 25 games in 1977 and ‘78.

Manager Bobby Mattick made Whitt the starting catcher in 1980, and it was one of the few bright spots of a lousy 67-95 season. In 1982, Bobby Cox took over the managerial reigns, and the club took a significant step towards respectability with a 78-84 record. Whitt continued to show improvement, with a .261 average, 11 home runs, and a 0.9 WAR. 

The best was yet to come, and 1983 marked another big step forward for Ernie and the Blue Jays. Whitt enjoyed his best season yet with 17 homers, 56 RBI, a .805 OPS, and a 3.4 WAR while throwing out 38% of base-runners. The team shook off its expansion-era ineptitude and finished 89-73, their first winning season. 

Durability, toughness, and power were the staples of Whitt’s game, and he played in over 100 games in nine of his ten seasons (he played 74 of 108 games in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign) with the Jays and reached double-digits in home runs every year from 1989 to 1989. The high mark for power production came in 1985 and 1987 with 19 homers. Whitt was named an All-Star in ‘85 and drove in 1 career-high 75 runs in ‘87. 

Ernie Whitt remains one of the most beloved alumni in Blue Jays history. He is, by far, the leader in home runs by a catcher and catcher WAR. As well as Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk have done to work towards those gaudy totals, catching Whitt's totals would take years of steady production to get close. Put Jansen's upcoming free agency into substantial historical perspective.