Ernie Whitt was in the Red Sox organization when the Toronto Blue Jays were formed, and they used one of their Expansion picks to take the Catcher, who would appear in 23 games for the parent club that year.
Whitt's ascension was slow, playing only 2 Games for the Jays in 1978 and zero in 1979, but the decade of the 1980s was Whitt's time to shine behind the plate. After becoming the primary Catcher in 1980, Whitt often was in a platoon situation as a Jay against right-handed Pitchers, which granted him the heavier load.
A favorite of Blue Jays' ace Dave Stieb, he had the opportunity to catch him in his lone All-Star appearance in 1985. That was the season when Whitt and Jays made their first post-season appearance. Whitt also collected over 100 Hits for the first time and would accomplish that in the next five years while also having a nine-year run of 10-plus Home Runs.
Whitt was traded to make room for younger Catchers, and when it was all said and done, the popular player managed 888 Hits with 131 Home Runs. He is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
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