- Ernie Whitt has almost double the fWAR of any other Blue Jays catcher.
- Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen both make the top five.
- Russell Martin was the Jays catcher for the trips to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016.
There’s a huge range of players to consider when evaluating the best Toronto Blue Jays catchers.
Some were all glove but still valuable. Others occasionally were a liability behind the plate but provided enough offensive value to offset their defensive weaknesses. Teams with a catcher who can play at a high level offensively and defensively are often among the baseball playoff odds, given how much easier it becomes to construct a deep lineup.
Five Best Toronto Blue Jays Catchers
| Rank | Player | Blue Jays Years |
| 1 | Ernie Whitt | 1978-89 |
| 2 | Alejandro Kirk | 2020-Present |
| 3 | Russell Martin | 2015-18 |
| 4 | Danny Jansen | 2018-24 |
| 5 | Darrin Fletcher | 1998-2002 |
1. Ernie Whitt
Over 11 fWAR ahead of any other Blue Jays catcher, I was never going to put anyone else in top spot on this list. Ernie Whitt might have only been a one-time All-Star, but he had seven consecutive seasons with a league average or better OPS.
Only five players in franchise history have appeared in more games than Whitt, who had his best individual season in 1985 when the Blue Jays lost the ALCS in seven games.
2. Alejandro Kirk
Alejandro Kirk’s 109 wRC+ is the highest mark of any Jays catcher with over 500 plate appearances. Kirk had his best season in 2022 when he was named an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger.
A former top 100 prospect, Kirk was part of the group of young Jays position players who reached the majors in the 2018 to 2020 range. As a result, Kirk’s MLB career has coincided with short Blue Jays odds to make the postseason.
3. Russell Martin
Amassing 8.3 bWAR in four seasons as a Blue Jay, Russell Martin was behind the plate when Toronto reached the ALCS in 2015 and 2016.
Martin was an All-Star in his first season as a Jay. Into his mid-30s, his offensive production declined over the next three seasons, but he still recorded 5.1 bWAR in 318 regular season games.
4. Danny Jansen
Like Kirk, Danny Jansen was a highly rated prospect. Before the 2018 season, Baseball America ranked him as high as 42nd.
Despite making his MLB debut in 2018, Jansen didn’t really flourish until 2021. Between 2021 and 2023, he posted 5.8 bWAR with a 120 OPS+. While a long way from being a sportsbook favourite to win AL MVP, Jansen was unquestionably among the best catchers in the American League in that period.
5. Darrin Fletcher
As a glove-first catcher, a 92 OPS+ isn’t too bad. Fletcher has the sixth-highest fWAR among all catchers in franchise history and notably has the lowest strikeout rate of any Jays catcher with over 1,000 plate appearances.
Fletcher only joined the Jays at the back end of his MLB career. He still delivered two excellent seasons, registering 4.3 bWAR and a 111 OPS+ across the 1999 and 2000 campaigns. A terrible 2001 season dragged down his overall numbers.
