What we learn from the tweets of Blue Jays past

Roy Halladay. (Fred Thornhill/CP)

With the lull in MLB action during the all-star break, many fans of the game are forced online to get their fix. If you’re one of them you’ll notice the trend that many current day players who aren’t playing in the Midsummer Classic are AWOL during the break. Outside of the odd player here or there updating you on their midseason vacation plans…

…most players take this chance to unplug not just on the field but socially as well.

The remedy is to fill that void with players of the past. The Blue Jays alum is comprised of not just some of the game’s all-time great players but also some of its all-time great personalities. It is very interesting to see how ex-players reinvent themselves on social media and in many cases, stay connected to the cities they played in. Jesse Barfield, Robbie Alomar, Carlos Delgado and both Vernon and David Wells are known for interacting with the present-day fan base on Twitter. It’s a chance to glean some insight into their true personalities now that they are away from the game and less guarded.

Here is a starting lineup of perhaps not the best Blue Jays alumni, but certainly the best to follow on Twitter.

ROTATION

Al Leiter
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1989–95
Twitter followers: 13,892

Since Leiter still works as an analyst for MLB, YES and FOX Sports Florida, he often tweets about league-wide matters. Cracking down on performance enhancers is a topic he’s specifically used the outlet to have a voice on.

Todd Stottlemyre
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1988–94
Twitter followers: 12,360

Stottlemyre is now an entrepreneur and motivational speaker of sorts and uses his social media accounts accordingly. He’s sill plugged into the Blue Jays however so be on the look out for his periscope with fans.

David Wells
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1987–92; 1999–2000
Followers: 20,320

Many of Boomer’s tweets are about his wife’s luxury real estate business. Still not completely down with the lingo, he calls the act of tweeting “twitting.”

Roy Halladay
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1998–2009
Twitter followers: 56,141
Doc was a man of few words during his playing career. On Twitter, though, he’s very vocal and updates his followers on everything he’s doing. Even being pulled over by the same cop twice.

FIRST BASE

Carlos Delgado
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1993–2004
Twitter followers: 69,952

Delgado’s account is a reminder of just how dominant he was, as he spends his time often replying to or retweeting people who recount his gawdy stats. Emojis were not a thing when Carlos was in his heyday but if they had been I’d never have thought he’d press send on one, even though he himself is the owner of a very smiley face. His liberal use of emoticons proves that you never really know someone until you follow them on social media.

SECOND BASE

Roberto Alomar
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1991–95
Twitter followers: 52,587
Alomar is all over the country working at clinics and charity events literally non-stop. It’s cool to see how he’s embraced calling Canada home and how he’s trying to grow the game nation-wide. His account is also an insight into his tender side as a dad.

THIRD BASE

Ed Sprague
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1991–98
Twitter followers: 4,691

Sprague uses his bio to remind followers that he’s the only man to win the World Series, College World Series and Olympic Gold Medal. Not only does he have a connection with the Blue Jays, his entire family is still pulling for them as we saw when Toronto won the ALDS last October.

SHORTSTOP

Omar Vizquel
Tenure with Blue Jays: 2012
Twitter followers: 11,558
Although the majority of Vizquel’s tweets are in Spanish, his feed is still fun to keep an eye on. The smooth-handling shortstop is currently living in Seattle but makes a point to come back to Toronto if for nothing else but the sweet treats and fine cuisine.

CATCHER

Gregg Zaun
Tenure with Blue Jays: 2004-08
Followers: 87,238

Zaun has a lot to say on pretty much everything. His Twitter feed isn’t solely a state of the union on baseball, though. Lots of his tweets are charity-based with Wounded Warriors being the most prominent. But you’ll still find lots of back and fourth with the #Zauntourage sprinkled in.

LEFT FIELD

Jesse Barfield
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1981–89
Twitter followers: 30,663
Want a live tweet of Blue Jays games as a secondary viewing experience? Jesse Barfield is your man. No surprise he’s a big Edwin Encarnacion fan. He also promotes his wife, Marla’s, fashion accessories on his handle.

CENTRE FIELD

Vernon Wells
Tenure with Blue Jays:
Twitter followers – 65,021
Many of Vernon Wells’s tweets are about his winery. There is also a healthy dose of respect for the crazy plays made by Steph Curry and Kevin Pillar. Still a big-time Blue Jays fan Vernon shows his support for the current day players.

RIGHT FIELD

Joe Carter
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1991–97
Followers: 24,876

Carter was known for that uppercut swing that handled low pitches with ease. In his post-career he’s doing lots of swinging of golf clubs. His charity golf tournaments have become a who’s who of celebrities, and drive much of his Twitter interaction. He’s also a big fan of college basketball and all things Kansas City sports. He routinely calls Toronto his second home however and makes sure to post whenever he’s back.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Dave Winfield
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1992
Twitter followers: 27,029

In his prime he was a five-tool player and his account, like his game, is full of versatility. Tweets about baseball, music, family, politics, charity, weather and food all populate his timeline. One of his big stances is the science of being unplugged and focused rather than multitasking. It’s a subject he brings up quite regularly.

BULLPEN

Bob File
Tenure with Blue Jays: 2001–2002; 2004
Twitter followers: 11,288

File’s feed is well, interesting to say the least. If you forgot about him being a Blue Jay his account isn’t necessarily a reminder. But you will discover his love for the hashtags #TeamBoss and #Team Awesome, and also the fact he is an undercover ninja.

BONUS

Kelvim Escobar
Tenure with Blue Jays: 1997–2003
Twitter followers: 108,217

Escobar, who moved in and out of the bullpen until his final season with the Jays when he pitched solely as a starter, somehow has more followers than many of the other all-time great Blue Jays. A careful comb-through of his account reveals little about why this is the case. But you might as well follow the Venezuela native’s tweets—everyone else seems to be.

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