Ernie Whitt

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Leo Ernest "Ernie" Whitt (born June 13, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former Major League Baseball player noted for being an original player for the Toronto Blue Jays when they broke into the major leagues in 1977. He currently serves as the Blue Jays' first base coach.

Whitt initially served as Toronto's bench coach while also doubling as first base coach for most of the 2005 season, after former first base coach Mickey Brantley was switched to the position of hitting coach to replace the fired Mike Barnett. He reverted back to being exclusively a bench coach after Marty Pevey, the manager of the Syracuse Chiefs (the Blue Jays' AAA affiliate), was called up in September to fill the vacant first base coach role. It was announced on September 30th, 2007 that Whitt would once again become the club's first base coach, with Brian Butterfield replacing him as bench coach.

Whitt managed the Canadian national baseball team to a 3rd place finish in Pool B at the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

[edit] Career

Whitt, a catcher, was selected in the 15th round of the 1972 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox, and he made his major league debut on September 12, 1976. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft that transpired after the 1976 season, and was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays, a team he stayed with through 1989.

It was during this time with Toronto that he would have his most success. Although he spent most of this time platooning behind the plate with Buck Martinez, Ernie had several very productive seasons. In 1985, he hit .245 with 19 HRs and 64 RBIs. In 1987, he bettered himself to .269 (a career high), 19 HRs and 75 RBIs (also a career high). He is widely regarded as the Blue Jays' greatest catcher, and remains involved with the organization.

After his playing days, Ernie has been involved in the coaching and administrative side of baseball. For the past few years, he has been the manager of the Canadian national baseball team. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he guided the team to a 4th-place finish in the baseball tournament. A notable coaching incident with the Blue Jays occurred when he glared menacingly at Alex Rodriguez during the famous Howie Clark pop-up incident.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

[edit] External links

• Baseball Reference