Who could join the Level of Excellence next?

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

José Bautista finally gets his moment this Saturday in Toronto. He’ll be added to the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence.

This recognizes not just one of the greatest players in franchise history, but one of this organization’s most incredible and improbable stories. A journeyman who joined the Blue Jays at 27, Bautista blossomed into one of the game’s most feared sluggers, setting the single-season franchise record of 54 home runs in 2010 that still stands.

“I’m sharing this celebration with the fans,” Bautista said earlier this week. “This is a celebration of my career and all that I was able to accomplish with the Blue Jays, almost entirely with the Blue Jays. I have all of the gratitude in the world towards the organization. It’s always great to be recognized and celebrated. I can’t wait to be there Saturday, sharing this with everybody.”

Bautista will join George Bell (1996), Dave Stieb (1996), Joe Carter (1999), Cito Gaston (1999), Tony Fernandez (2001), Pat Gillick (2002), Tom Cheek (2004), Paul Beeston (2008), Carlos Delgado (2013) and Roy Halladay (2018).

This all begs the question: Who’s next?

LHP Jimmy KeyThe best lefty in Blue Jays history has long deserved a bigger piece of these conversations. Halladay and Stieb stand well above the rest, but Key pitched to a 3.42 ERA — the same as Stieb — over his nine seasons in Toronto.

Key has some impressive peaks to go with his consistency across those seasons, too, notably in 1987. That year, Key posted a 2.76 ERA over 261 innings, finishing second in American League Cy Young Award voting behind only Roger Clemens of the Red Sox.

1B Edwin EncarnaciónEncarnación would come with the personal recommendation of Bautista. Besides, the two late bloomers took very similar paths to stardom in Toronto and formed one of baseball’s best one-two power punches.

“Edwin is one of the brothers that baseball has given me,” Bautista said. “I’m looking forward to his moment in the limelight, hopefully shortly.”

Encarnación ranks third all-time in Blue Jays home runs (239), just behind Bautista, and helped co-author so many of the Blue Jays’ biggest moments in those postseason runs of 2015 and ‘16. Beyond Carter’s ’93 World Series walk-off and Bautista’s bat flip, Encarnacion’s walk-off home run in the ‘16 AL Wild Card Series against the Orioles is one of this organization’s finest moments.

If the Blue Jays ever surround Rogers Centre with statues, which fans have long hoped for, Encarnación standing atop home plate with his arms raised, watching that home run soar out, has to be on the short list.

Broadcaster (and much more) Buck MartinezThree generations of Blue Jays fans know Martinez as a player, manager or broadcaster. He’s the TV voice of the Blue Jays in Canada, working alongside Dan Shulman, Joe Siddall and previously Pat Tabler, with his trademark “Get up, ball!” behind so many home runs over the years. 

Few people have represented this organization for as long and as well as Martinez has. When the time comes for him to hang up the microphone — which is hopefully still many years down the road — he’s worthy of the honor. 

CF Vernon WellsIf Wells had played for some postseason teams, this would be a different conversation, but he was one of the faces of the franchise for over a decade alongside Halladay. The fifth overall pick in the 1997 Draft, Wells was a homegrown talent who has stepped into the box more times than any player in this club’s history outside Delgado. 

Wells’ 1,529 hits are second all-time behind Fernandez, and he ranks top-five all-time in doubles (339), home runs (223) and RBIs (813).

RHP Tom HenkeThere haven’t been many better nicknames than “The Terminator,” have there?

Henke was absolutely dominant over eight seasons with the Blue Jays, racking up 217 career saves that leads Toronto all-time. That number will be safe for a while longer, too, with Duane Ward’s 121 the closest and Jordan Romano’s 89 still well behind. It ended in the way Henke deserved, too, with a World Series ring in 1992.

Broadcaster Jerry Howarth“Hello, friends!”

Howarth called Blue Jays games on the radio for 36 years. He covered some of the franchise’s greatest moments, including the back-to-back World Series runs of 1992 and ’93. Over his career, Howarth grew to become one of the most beloved figures around the Blue Jays — a constant presence in Toronto and on the road.

Howarth’s voice is synonymous with Blue Jays baseball, and it’s only fitting that Howarth takes his place alongside Cheek again.

Other candidates to consider: Lloyd Moseby, Pat Hentgen, Duane Ward, Jesse Barfield, John Gibbons