Quantrill joining Baseball Canada's Wall of Excellence

TORONTO -- Former Blue Jays reliever Paul Quantrill will be named to Baseball Canada's Wall of Excellence during their national team awards banquet and fundraiser Jan. 14 in Toronto.
Quantrill, who posted a 3.83 ERA over 14 seasons, will become the ninth member of Baseball Canada's Wall of Excellence. The list includes Russell Martin, Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Joey Votto, Ryan Dempster, Jason Bay, Jeff Francis and Ernie Whitt.
Walker, Morneau, Bay, Dempster and free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders are all expected to attend Quantrill's ceremony. The night will also include an awards presentation to honor current and former national teams players and personnel.
"We've always been fortunate to receive great support from our big league alumni, so it's exciting to see the list of guys that have already confirmed to attend in January," said Greg Hamilton, coach and director of national teams with Baseball Canada. "We look forward to celebrating a season of Canadian baseball excellence in an environment that fosters future national team success."
Quantrill spent six seasons in Toronto from 1996-2001, going 30-34 with a 3.67 ERA. He was one of the more reliable setup men during his prime, and durability was never an issue. The London, Ontario, native led the Majors in appearances four consecutive seasons (2001-04) and frequently logged more than 80 innings a season.
The 2001 American League All-Star works for the Blue Jays as a special advisor to the organization. He also joined the big league club in September as a bullpen coach while pitching coach Pete Walker temporarily left the team because of personal reasons. Quantrill's son, Cal, is a former member of the national junior team program and was selected by the Padres in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins also are expected to attend Baseball Canada's annual event. Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar will be there as well for the dinner at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel at Rogers Centre.