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Duane Whitley was inducted into the BBA HOF in 2020, just one season removed from an active big league career. So why, you may ask, did it take 25 years for him to be inducted in to the Montreal Blazers' Hal of Fame? The answer is simple, up until 2044 they didn't have one. Whitley has waited twenty-five years to finally get his due in Montreal. Still loved by the fans, Whitley will not only be inducted into the Blazers Hall of Fame but he will also have his number retired. On April 1, Montreal will host Rockville for the first game of the season. Whitley will be inducted into the team's HOF and have his number retired in a pregame ceremony, throw out the first pitch, and have a bobble head give away to the first 30,000 fans through the gates at Ubisoft Field. When asked how he felt about his old team finally recognizing him he explained "I could say 'It's about time' or 'what took so long' but I won't because I know the management we have now cares about the history of not just the team but the league and I'm sure we will see great things coming out of Montreal!"
Whitley made a splash in 2001 winning rookie of the year when he hit .356 and led the league in slugging. He would drive in 100 plus runs 13 of his 15 seasons in Montreal. He enjoyed a late career boost when he won three consecutive FL Sawyer Silk Awards from '12~'13 at the ages of 35, 36, & 37 to go with his first Sawyer Silk from 2002. His name is all over the Blazers' record books dominating the counting stats in particular. He is first all time in WAR(90.2), games played(2325), runs scored(1513), hits(3110), total bases(5107), doubles(594), home runs(439), runs batted in(1797), and bases on balls(1001). He is second in career batting average(.333), third in career OB%(.397), and fourth in career SLG%(.547). He has three batting titles including 2002 when he hit .394 which is still a team record. He led the league in hits three times, RBI three times, and doubles once.
