Most Loved Blue Jay? (All-Time)

[keggy]

23 hours ago, Laika said:

What did Aaron Hill do!?

He's obviously referring to Homer Bush

[Omar]

#1 in our hearts and on the field:

the incomparable Tony Fernandez. 

[hanton]

Alomar, I'm trying to think of another player that can hit, field and run like Alomar.  I can't.  Add his clutchness and high baseball IQ.  

.300 BA

fWAR 63.6 (ranks 96th all time)

SB 474 (ranks 44th all time)

[Grant77]

Trying not to conflate 'the best' with the 'most loved' and considering fans of all age groups and different levels of fandom is a difficult task. 

It's not going to be a guy like Stieb or Alomar with their difficult relationships with the media and tarnished reputations.

Halladay is certainly a candidate amongst fans under 40, but I think overall it's definitely going to be Joe Carter. His jersey is still all over the stadium 30 years later.

He's been the author of the most important moments in team history and he's inarguably one of the most likeable and charismatic people to ever play for this team. He's a popular target for more analytically inclined people who resent his popularity, but I don't think that's a common sentiment amongst the fan base as a whole.

[Nexii]

2 hours ago, Grant77 said:

Trying not to conflate 'the best' with the 'most loved' and considering fans of all age groups and different levels of fandom is a difficult task. 

It's not going to be a guy like Stieb or Alomar with their difficult relationships with the media and tarnished reputations.

Halladay is certainly a candidate amongst fans under 40, but I think overall it's definitely going to be Joe Carter. His jersey is still all over the stadium 30 years later.

He's been the author of the most important moments in team history and he's inarguably one of the most likeable and charismatic people to ever play for this team. He's a popular target for more analytically inclined people who resent his popularity, but I don't think that's a common sentiment amongst the fan base as a whole.

Yea I tried to explain why for me it's gotta be Doc. It isn't just about being the best. It's the overcoming adversity angle, which is kind of my own life story.

My aunt and cousin both said Joe Carter (to my surprise). He wasn't the best on the championship teams of 92-93, but he was the heart and soul of the team. Just charismatic and always upbeat. It was so poetic that he was the one who made both of the final outs.

[polar bear]

On 8/8/2025 at 11:15 AM, max silver said:

I was a huge fan of the bad boy duo of Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista. I'll go with Bautista as he was a franchise icon due to spending more time with the club, but the MVP season of Donaldson is probably my favorite single player season of all time. 

I have had many,many favorites since day one,but my first name on my team sheet would be Donaldson”Make it rain Josh”

[CheeseHead]

In 20 years time I'll be looking back and saying, "yep, its Mason Fluharty" 😄

[Nexii]

Re: Joe Carter, I never knew he did this way back. Up there with Sidd Finch

 

[Funky]

On the field I still have to say Alomar.  Everyone I knew wanted to play second base and be like Robbie.  Too bad the person got in the way of the player.  
 

Gruber was awesome to watch in his short stay.  Not sure why I liked him so much but I liked watching him. 
 

Roy was so likable and such a friggin stud.  
 

Delgado was probably the player other than Alomar that II tuned in to watch. 
 

Joe Carter has always been very likable 

[GoBlue41]

Bautista and Carter would be my picks. I think Stieb should be up there as well. However, I think in order to be most loved you need to have had a great career with the Jays but also have some kind of iconic moment that everyone remembers fondly. The bat flip and the World Series walk off still give me chills when I watch them. 

[Brownie19]

13 hours ago, Grant77 said:

Trying not to conflate 'the best' with the 'most loved' and considering fans of all age groups and different levels of fandom is a difficult task. 

It's not going to be a guy like Stieb or Alomar with their difficult relationships with the media and tarnished reputations.

Halladay is certainly a candidate amongst fans under 40, but I think overall it's definitely going to be Joe Carter. His jersey is still all over the stadium 30 years later.

He's been the author of the most important moments in team history and he's inarguably one of the most likeable and charismatic people to ever play for this team. He's a popular target for more analytically inclined people who resent his popularity, but I don't think that's a common sentiment amongst the fan base as a whole.

I think that's well said Grant.  I don't think there's any doubt that Joe Carter is beloved by a huge % of the (older) population.  He was incredibly popular when I was a kid.  I do struggle with the reality that he wasn't nearly as good as I was lead to believe as a kid, but that's OK.  Baseball evolved and we know more now.  Most don't know the game enough to ever change their opinions and thus Jumpin' Joe will forever be one of the most famous and beloved Blue Jays.

[mphenhef]

10 hours ago, Funky said:

 
 

Gruber was awesome to watch in his short stay.  Not sure why I liked him so much but I liked watching him. 
 

I can tell you all the women I knew really liked watching Gruber back then.

[Grant77]

1 hour ago, Brownie19 said:

I think that's well said Grant.  I don't think there's any doubt that Joe Carter is beloved by a huge % of the (older) population.  He was incredibly popular when I was a kid.  I do struggle with the reality that he wasn't nearly as good as I was lead to believe as a kid, but that's OK.  Baseball evolved and we know more now.  Most don't know the game enough to ever change their opinions and thus Jumpin' Joe will forever be one of the most famous and beloved Blue Jays.

I feel the same way about Carter, who is still my favourite player. When I see people trashing his career, my first instinct is to lash out, but I do understand their perspective. He's got perhaps the biggest hit in baseball history and it's what I still think about when I step to the plate.

[G-Snarls]

1 hour ago, mphenhef said:

I can tell you all the women I knew really liked watching Gruber back then.

My ex wife thought he was hot too.  But not as much as Alomar. After being surprisingly willing to watch Blue Jays games with me for a few years she one day admitted Alommar was the only reason she started watching games with me in the first place.

I have lot of mixed feelings about the guy cause he honestly was my favorite player at the time.

But Carter cemented the most iconic moments. And Halladay was must watch TV even when the team sucked. 

[PitaBaby]

That's a REALLY tough one my friend. Been watching for so many years now it's hard to pick, and I'm sure it would change day to day.

If I put my hand in a jar it would be one of these guys:

1. Delgado

1. Joey

1. Donnie

1. Carter

1. Doc

1. Robbie

1. Jesse

1. Georgie B

1. Devon

1. Kelly

1. Crime Dog

1. Terminator

1. Tony 

1. Davie S

1. Troy

1. Eddie

1. Barney