I was kind of surprised when I read that the Blue Jays had not retired anyone’s number apart from the league-wide 42 for Jackie Robinson. Then I thought about it and realized that there really hasn’t been any strong candidate for the honor. Dave Stieb, maybe? Hey, we all love the guy, but he doesn’t necessarily scream “eternal honor.” He really screams “this is the best we could do.”
But that changes on July 31st, as the Jays are going to retire Roberto Alomar’s number 12. That is, Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar’s number 12.
Which is both appropriate and cool. Probably the best second baseman of my lifetime. At least the baseball-aware portion of my lifetime. All apologies to Joe Carter, but Alomar was easily the most important player on those 1992-93 Jays teams. A great choice for the first time the honor is to be used in Toronto.
Next up: Kelly Gruber.