So many good memories.  A great hitter, always with a smile, and someone who also thinks about the world.  I too will miss him.

He was a great player and a great guy. I hope we get to see the likes of him again.

great hitter, always with a smile, and someone who also thinks about the world

While Carlos was here I was too dumb to appreciate how unusual and admirable that last part is. Great player, and one of the easiest guys ever to root for.

They should've called him The Swan, not The Cat.  His swing was so graceful and effortless.  I remember numerous one handed home runs.  As a Junior Jays member pretty well from birth, I remember getting the Carlos Delgado "Catcher" prospect card.  He has always been my favourite hitter and I am sad to see injuries catch up with him.

Just had a quick look at career WAR compiled by players while they were Blue Jays.  Top five:

1. Stieb 53.6
2. Halladay 47.4
3. Delgado 33.8
4. Fernandez 33.3
5. Key 27.8 

A Carlos Delgado home run was one of the most beautiful sights in baseball.

I wonder how many teams will try to entice him into coaching. I'd certainly love to see him in a Jays uniform again some day.

For a few days he was the highest paid player in baseball.

My favourite Carlos game was when he hit a ball off Windows restaurant; I believe he had 4 homers that game.

Cheers to a near-Hall of Famer and the next member of the Jays' Level of Excellence.

Favourite memory: The bat flip after his fourth homer, that glorious night. I've never seen someone more locked into a plate appearance. He was definitely hitting another one that night and it was such a majestic shot.

I'll always remember how excited I was to follow Carlos's development right from the time he hit Dunedin as a catcher.  That was right when I really started getting exposed to minor league development in the old Baseball America newspapers in the early 90's, good memories.  He's still my all-time favourite homegrown prospect, and really should have had an MVP award for the Jays.  Just missed out on getting a ring in 1993 too, though he would have played with them during spring training.  

Too bad he couldn't stick around a few more years to pad those running totals.  He was always free of the steroid accusations but I'm not hopeful that his numbers will be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, although he's a lock for the Canadian Baseball HOF.  Best wishes to Carlos in his future philanthropic work.

If players like Manny Ramirez are kept out of the Hall of Fame, players like Carlos Delgado need to be put in it without hesitation.

players like Carlos Delgado need to be put in it without hesitation.

Alas, I don't like his chances. His case will be very, very similar to Fred McGriff's - as it stands, McGriff looks just a wee bit better to me - and I fear my man Fred will be in for a long wait.

A great player. And as far as we can know, a good man. I had the pleasure to write a magazine piece about him, and he was a demanding and thoughtful interview. And a heck of a lot bigger than I'd expected.

It's a shame he wasn't able to reach the post season in a Jays uniform. He's every bit the icon that Halladay became.

As the great (and future US President) Stephen Colbert would query ...

"The question is simple. Carlos Delgado .. great Blue Jay offensive force? Or THE GREATEST Blue Jay offensive force?"

(Hint: the answer is "yes.")

:-)

great Blue Jay offensive force? Or THE GREATEST Blue Jay offensive force?

It all depends. As a Blue Jay, McGriff was a slightly greater force - his Blue Jay line of .278/.389/.530 in an era of depressed offense was... more forceful than Delgado's .282/.392/.556 in the best era for offense since the 1930s.

But Delgado played well over twice as many games in a Toronto uniform, which counts for a whole lot as well.

It's a shame he wasn't able to reach the post season in a Jays uniform.

Indeed. Like Roy Halladay, when he finally got into October, he made up for lost time (.351/.442/.757 with 4 HR and 11 RBI in his 10 games.) His post-season run ended like his Toronto run - he was waiting in the on deck circle when Beltran struck out to end the series.

And with Carlos in the news today, somewhere Jorge Sosa is having nightmares. And Jamie Moyer. Jeff Weaver just shuddered, and Dustin Hermanson was seen running down the street in utter panic...

He's every bit the icon that Halladay became.

While he deserved an iconic status similar to Halladay's, I'd argue that he didn't quite achieve it. Halladay was bulletproof during the latter half of his final season after which he'd made it known that he thought he should move on. No one questioned his motives or his integrity (and rightfully so). Delgado, on the other hand, received a ridiculous amount of grief for refusing to waive his no-trade clause in his final season, being considered disloyal by many for paradoxically preferring to stay with the team.

players like Carlos Delgado need to be put in it without hesitation.

Alas, I don't like his chances. His case will be very, very similar to Fred McGriff's - as it stands, McGriff looks just a wee bit better to me - and I fear my man Fred will be in for a long wait.

when all the Law-types were whining (rightfully so) about Bagwell in the last election, I was saying every chance I got - no one even noticed McGriff getting only 17%. I do think that in a world where you bust people like Palmerio for using, you ought to vote for people like Bagwell, McGriff, and Delgado.

But that said, I think you are right. they are very similar players, results wise, and neither likely makes it.

For fun:

If you use a oWAR of 4.0 as a benchmark (these are BaseballRef numbers by the way) for a "peak years" season, you get a relatively defined window for both players.

Delgado first passed that line at age 26 and was above it in 7 of the next 8 years. He peaked at 7.6 in 2000, and averaged (per 162 games) 5.5

McGriff was over 4 every year from age 24 through age 30 (and again once more at 35. During that 7 year peak span, McGriff averaged (per 162) 5.6 oWAR, but his peak was only 6.1

Over his career, McGriff had 17.5% more plate appearances than Delgado, and 9% more oWAR so if I'm not missing something, McGriff's higher total has to do with more PA, and in the same number of PA Delgado would be slightly ahead.

Astonishing, really, how close the two were.

Here are the counting stats, per 162 games, for each:

CD: .280/.383/.546/.929, 38 doubles, 38 homers, 120 RBI
FM: .284/.377/.509/.886, 29 doubles, 32 homers, 102 RBI

(looking at that, I'm a bit confused how the oWAR can be so close)

for comparison, here's Bagwell-

JB: .297/.408/.540/.948, 37 doubles, 34 homers, 115 RBI, 15 steals

however, Bagwell's WAR was over 4 for 12 consecutive years, peaking at a rather incredible 8.2 and averaging 6.2 per 162 games.

Clearly a cut above, according to WAR, and he's in for a long fight to get elected.

If Bagwell can't get in the Hall of Fame, then Albert Pujols should be the only person elected in the next 30 years.

Steroid issues aside, Delgado probably belongs in the Hall of Very Good. I was surprised at his WAR totals as a Jay (and overall) being that low, to be honest.

I can't remember if I was at the 4 home run game or just watched it on tv (the later I suspect), but that has to be the best single game performance in Jays history, taking stakes (ie playoffs) out of the equation. Morrow's gem this past year would be close too I think.

Carlos and Fred.  I’d hate to have to choose between them.  Great favourites, both of them.  I remember in April of 1994 (I think--it was Carlos first stint anyway) being there for an absolute rocket-launched shot of his way up in the highest seats in right field (can’t remember if that was his 5th deck shot or not).  From that game on, I was a big fan of Carlos.  A very thoughtful, intelligent man, too, it seemed.

My Fred story is  about riding my bike up Yonge St. one day, at Eglinton.  There was a CIBC bank on the corner, and a sign on the door saying Fred McGriff was signing things at 1:00 or whatever.  I pedalled home as quickly as I could; grabbed a couple of baseballs and something else, and puffed back to have Fred sign them.  He was standing quietly in a corner as non-baseball fans moved around him, and seemed genuinely pleased to meet the few fans who knew who he was.  Fred seemed shy; made it seem as if we were doing *him* a favour by asking for an autograph and chatting with him.  Nice man.  And I suspect he too could have reached the 5th deck at the Dome.  Really liked them both.