Blue Jays to honour Carlos Delgado on Level of Excellence

The Toronto Blue Jays will honour 1B Carlos Delgado in an on-field ceremony held on Sunday July 21, 2013 when the Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Rays. The legendary Blue Jays first baseman will be recognized for his accomplishments as the 10th member inducted on the Level of Excellence.

The Level of Excellence is an award bestowed by the Toronto Blue Jays, recognizing individual achievement. Previous recipients of this prestigious award are Dave Stieb, George Bell, Joe Carter, Cito Gaston, Tony Fernandez, Pat Gillick, Tom Cheek, Roberto Alomar and Paul Beeston.

"Not only was he one of the best hitters in club history, he was one of the finest first basemen of his generation. More importantly, Carlos was a tremendous ambassador for the Blue Jays organization and the city of Toronto. His fun-loving attitude was infectious and his tireless work in the community were truly his greatest assets." – Paul Beeston

Fans are encouraged to come out to the ballpark early on Sunday July 21.  Carlos and special guests will be present for a pregame ceremony prior to first pitch.  The first 20,000 fans to enter the ballpark will receive a Commemorative Carlos Delgado Baseball.

"This is a tremendous honour. When I became a Blue Jay I never thought an honour of this nature would be possible. I am grateful to the Blue Jays organization and feel truly honoured to receive this recognition." – Carlos Delgado

Delgado made his debut in 1993 and would remain with the club for 12 seasons finishing as the franchise leader in home runs (336), RBI (1,058), walks (827), slugging percentage (.556), OPS (.949), runs (889), total bases (2,786), doubles (343), extra base hits (690), times on base (2,362), hit by pitch (122), intentional walks (128) and at bats per home run (14.9). The two-time All-Star (2000 and 2003) holds several Blue Jays single-season and career records. He won the Hank Aaron Award and Sporting News Player of the Year Award in 2000 and the Silver Slugger Award in 1999, 2000, and 2003.