Who Wore It Best: 1
· Yahoo Sports
You’d think there’d be more demand from top players for the number 1 on the back of the jersey, especially since it was worn by some notable players. However, it has largely been the designation of contact first, defensively solid infielders over the years and the Jays are no exception. When the Yankees and Indians first added numbers to the jerseys at the start of the 1929, they did so based on the starting lineup first, which meant that Indian’s shortstop Jackie Tavener and Yankee’s centerfielder Earl Combs, each club’s respective lead off man, earned the number. Since then, 1 has been mostly allotted to contact hitters and defense first players throughout the last 77 years.
Tavener, who didn’t last out the season, had always been a weak hitter and was at the end of his career at age 31. Combs, on the other hand, was a tremendous fielder and an excellent hitter, sporting a career wRC+ of 126. Other than his lack of home runs, he was a perfect leadoff hitter, with a career line of .325/.397/.459, excelling hitting into the gaps at Yankee Stadium’s cavernous outfield and leading the league in triples 3 times.
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Hall of Fame players to wear no 1 include Richie Ashburn, Bobby Doerr, Pee Wee Reese, and Ozzie Smith; three infielders and a centerfielder, all excellent defenders.
The first Jay to wear 1 was also, ironically, the first player they chose in the 1976 Expansion Draft; Bob Bailor. Selected from Baltimore, Bailor was primarily an outfielder but saw time at short and third during his four years with the Jays.
Who is the most successful player to wear 1 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays?
WWIB: Tony Fernandez 1983-1990, 1993, 1998-1999, 2001 (37.5 bWAR)
Fernandez was one of legendary scout Epy Guerrero’s signings in 1979 and first came up in 1983 as a September callup. By 1985, he had seized the role of starting shortstop, winning four Gold Gloves, known for his ability to get balls deep in the zone and rainbow throws back to first half a second ahead of the runner. He was a five-time All-Star, all of them while playing for the Jays. He was part of the blockbuster trade between San Diego and Toronto, which sent him and Fred McGriff to the Padres in exchange for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. Fernandez was a tremendous patient hitter, walking almost as much as he struck out, and used his speed to take extra bases and steal. Interestingly, his second last run with the Jays – 1998 and 1999 – were the two best offensive years of his career, getting onbase at the best clip of his career and hitting 15 of his 94 career home runs. Fernandez was part of the World Series winning team in 1993, going 7-21 in the series, driving in 9 runs as a key part of the lineup.
Fernandez was a deeply religious man, to the point that the Jays Front Office was occasionally unsure whether he might retire during the offseason to start his ministry during the height of his career. Fernandez received just 4 votes for Cooperstown, falling off the ballot in 2008, but he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Fernandez passed away in 2020 following complications stemming from polycystic kidney disease.
Other Jays to wear number Orlando Hudson 2002-2005 (12.6 bWAR), Bob Bailor 1977-1980 (3.5 bWAR), Joe Inglett 2007-2009 (3.0 bWAR), and Aledmys Díaz 2018 (2.1 bWAR).