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Toronto Blue Jays All-Time Team
The Blue Jays have only been around since 1977, so their all-time team has a limited history to draw upon. After an understandably miserable start as an expansion team, they had notable success during the nine years from 1985 to 1993, during which time they captured their five division titles, and two consecutive World Series championships (1992-93). Since then the Jays have been a perennial third place finisher, usually trailing the big-spending Yankees and Red Sox.
1st Base:
Carlos Delgado (.282, 336 HR, 1058 RBI, 889 R, 2 AS), the all-time HR leader for the Blue Jays, is the obvious starter. After a slow start he hit 30+ HR every year from 1997 through 2004. He also had six consecutive 100+ RBI seasons, and three others with 90+. His best season was 2000, when he hit .344 with 57 doubles, 41 HR, 115 R, 137 RBI, and a .470 OBP. He is easily the best slugger the Blue Jays have had to date.
The backup is not nearly as easy to choose. John Olerud (.293, 1 AS) came directly from Washington State University to the Blue Jays, bypassing the minors entirely. He was the regular for the Jays from 1990-96. He was a fine gloveman and was third in the MVP balloting in 1993 when he hit .363 with 54 doubles, 24 HR, 107 RBI, and a .473 OBP. Fred McGriff (.278) also started his fine career with the Jays, essentially playing four seasons and hitting 30+ HRs in three of them. Willie Upshaw (.265) was the starter for six years, and in 1983 hit .306, with 27 HR and 104 RBI. And John Mayberry (.256) was the first significant first-sacker in Toronto, hitting 20+ HRs from 1978-1980. So there are several strong candidates here, but Olerud gets the nod.
2nd Base:
Roberto Alomar (.307, 206 SB, 5 AS, 5 GG) only played for Toronto from 1991-1995, but he hit .295 or better every year and stole plenty of bases. In 1993 he hit .326 with 17 HR, 93 RBI, 109 R, and 55 SB. He was an all-star and gold glover every year.
Damaso Garcia (.288, 194 SB, 2 AS) was the regular second sacker from 1980-86, and also displayed fine speed. He twice hit over .300, and had some impressive SB totals including 54, 46, and 31. The O-Dog, Orlando Hudson (.270, 1 GG), had potential to one day get this spot, but he only played three full years in Toronto before joining the Dodgers for 2006.
3rd Base:
Kelly Gruber (.259, 2 AS, 1 GG) played all but his final season in Toronto. He was a fine gloveman, and had some power, but really only had one outstanding season, 1990, when he hit .274 with 31 HR and 119 RBI. But he also played more games at 3B than any other Blue Jay, so he is the starter.
Ed Sprague (.245) also played most of this career with the Jays, and in 1996 hit 36 HR with 101 RBI. He hit for a low average, but makes this team due to a dearth of other quality candidates. Eric Hinske (.259) has played four years for Toronto but his offensive production has only been mediocre: after 24 HR in his rookie season, he hasn't hit more than 15 since then. Garth Iorg (.258) was a lifetime part-timer for the Blue Jays, playing all over the infield but mostly at 3B and 2B. And Rance Mulliniks (.280) often platooned with him, hit 10-12 HR five times, and had three .300+ partial seasons.
Shortstop:
Tony Fernandez (.297, 172 SB, 4 AS, 4 GG) is the all-time Toronto leader in games played, so he is the clear starter here. He actually had four separate stints with the Blue Jays: 1983-90, 1993, 1998-1999, and then returning to retire in Toronto after a partial 2001 season. He hit over .300 several times, had 20+ SB four times, and paced the AL in triples in 1990 with 17.
Alex Gonzalez (.245) was the regular SS for Toronto for 5+ years, always hit double-digit HR, and had 15+ SB four times. He'll get the nod over Alfredo Griffin (.249, 1 AS), who had a fine rookie season in 1979, hitting .287 with 21 SB and tying for the Rookie of the Year award with Minnesota's 2B John Castino. Good with the glove, but with virtually no power, he also didn't run particularly well: he had 79 SB but also 74 CS.
Catcher:
Backstop has never been a particularly strong position for Toronto. Ernie Whitt (.253, 1 AS) played most of his career as a bluebird, hitting 10+ HRs for eight consecutive seasons, while never playing more than 139 games in a season.
Pat Borders (.256) played for the Jays in parts of eight seasons, and hit 10+ HRs twice. He was the World Series MVP in 1992, when he went 9-20 with three doubles and a home run. Darrin Fletcher 4+ years in Toronto at the end of his career, hitting 18 HR in 1999 and 20 HR the next year. But I'll go with post-season hero Borders as the reserve on this roster.
Outfield:
Generally considered the best standing OF of the mid-1980s, the trio of George Bell (.286, 202 HR, 2 AS), Lloyd Moseby (.257, 149 HR, 255 SB, 1 AS), and Jesse Barfield (.265, 179 HR, 1 AS, 2 GG) makeup two of three starters on this roster. Bell played most of his career with the Jays, regularly hitting 25+ HRs and 90+ RBI. His outstanding 1987 season took home MVP honors: .308, 47 HR, 134 RBI, 111 R. Moseby played all but his last two seasons in Toronto, and regularly hit double-digit HRs while swiping 30+ bases. And Barfield was a powerful hitter for the Jays from 1982 until he was traded to the Yankees early in 1989 for pitcher Al Leiter. His best season was 1986, when he hit .289 with 40 HR and 108 RBI.
But Barfield is quite strong enough to be a starter, as Joe Carter (.257, 203 HR, 5 AS) had seven full seasons in Toronto, hitting 30+ HRs four times and 100+ RBIs six times. In 1992 he was third in the MVP balloting after hitting 34 HR with 119 RBI, and he was a key part of the the team that won the franchise's two World Series championships.
Current Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells (.289, 1 AS, 2 GG) might someday crack this starting lineup, given his strong glove and strong bat. He has had 23-33 HR in each of his four full seasons, hitting .317 with 215 H, 49 D, 33 HR, and 117 RBI in 2003.
Devon White (.270, 126 SB, 1 AS, 5 GG) played five full seasons for the Jays, hitting 10+ each year and twice stealing over 30 bases. But more importantly, he provided gold-glove defense every year, so he'll get the sixth OF spot.
Shawn Green (.286, 1 AS, 1 GG) started his impressive career with the Blue Jays, playing five full seasons there. After three mediocre seasons, ee exploded in 1998 with 35 HR and 100 RBI, and then topped that in 1999 hitting .309, 45 D, 42 HR, 134 R, and 123 RBI. Shannon Stewart (.301, 163 SB) played 5+ seasons for the Jays, regularly batting over .300 with double-digit HR. He also swiped 51 SB in 1998 and then 37 in 1999. And Jose Cruz Jr. (.250) played in Toronto for 4+ years, and hit 30+ HRs twice. All fine candidates, but not quite good enough to make it on this team.
Starting Pitching:
The clear ace for this roster is Dave Stieb (175-134, 3.42, 7 AS), arguably the best overall pitcher in the AL during the 1980s. He was very durable, starting 30 or more games every year from 1980 to 1990 (except strike-shortened 1981 when he started 25), and from 1980-84 he had 10+ complete games per year, including leading the league with 19 in 1982. In 1985 he led the AL in ERA with a 2.48 mark. He was consistent but not flashy, as he never won more than 18 games in a season, but six times won 16-18.
The resumes of the remaining candidates are not nearly as impressive as Stieb's. Jim Clancy (128-140, 4.10, 1 AS) had a losing record for the Blue Jays, but did start in the second most games for the club. He twice won 15 games, once won 16, and completed 15 of his 34 starts in 1980. Jimmy Key (116-81, 3.42, 2 AS) pitched out of the Toronto bullpen in 1984, before joining the next year and staying there until leaving as a free agent after the 1992 season. His best season as a bluebird was 1987 when he was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young award, with a 17-8 record and a league-leading 2.76 ERA.
After two brief seasons, Pat Hentgen (107-85, 4.28, 3 AS) was a solid starter in Toronto from 1993-1999. He won the AL Cy Young award in 1996, going 20-10 with a 3.22 ERA (second best in the league). In 1993 he was 19-9, and in 1997 was 15-10. He returned to the club as a backend starter in 2004, but it was clear his career was over at that point.
Roy Halladay (91-45, 3.63, 3 AS) already deserves a roster spot, and if he stays with the team a while longer he could jump up one or two positions on this list. After struggling his first several seasons, he went 19-7 with a 2.93 ERA in 2002, and then followed that with a 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 2003, which was good enough to win the AL Cy Young award. He had a bad shoulder in 2004 which limited him to an 8-8 record, and then in 2005 he was going strong with a 12-4 record and a 2.41 ERA until a line drive off the bat of Kevin Mench broke his leg and ended his season.
Juan Guzman (76-62, 4.07, 1 AS) was in the rotation for the Jays for parts of eight seasons, though he only pitched over 200 innings for them once. His best season was his second, 1992, when he went 16-5 with a 2.64 ERA. He also took the ERA crown in 1996 with a 2.93 mark, while only compiling an 11-8 record.
David Wells (84-55, 4.06, 1 AS) started his illustrious career with Toronto, pitching for them as a reliever for three years from 1987-89, then as a starter from 1990-92, and then returned to the club for two seasons in 1999-2000. His second stint were his best two years for them, going 17-10 and 20-8.
What about Roger Clemens (41-13, 2.33, 2 AS) you ask? Yes, his two oustanding seasons are good enough to secure this eighth and final spot, given that there aren't very many strong candidates amongst the relievers. He not only won the Cy Young Award in both 1997 and 1998, few remember that he won the pitching triple crown both of those years as well. In 1997 he went 21-7 with a 2.05 ERA and 292 K, and then in 1998 he went 20-6 with a 2.65 ERA and 271 K.
Todd Stottlemyre (69-70, 4.39) was a starter for the Jays for parts of seven seasons. He went 15-8 in 1991 and won 10+ games three other times. He comes close, but in my mind his mediocre Blue Jays career doesn't match Clemens' two awesome season. And nobody else really deserves mention here.
Relief Pitching:
The Blue Jays did not have a consistent closer until Tom Henke (29-29, 2.48, 217 SV, 1 AS) took on that role in the mid-1980s. From 1986 through 1992 Tom "The Terminator" was amongst the league's best, saving 20-34 games each year, often with an ERA well below 2.50. Duane Ward (32-36, 3.18, 121 SV, 1 AS) was his fellow bullpen mate for many of those years, and they shared the save opportunities enough for him to get 10 or more each year from 1988-1992. When Tom was granted free agency after the 1992 season, Duane stepped as the full-time closer, saving 45 games and posting a 2.13 ERA. But this success was shortlived, as injury eliminated his 1994 season, and limited him to only 4 games in an attempted comback in 1995.
Another from the Blue Jays' late-1980s bullpen deserves mention. Mark Eichhorn (29-19, 3.03, 15 SV) had an astounding 1986 season, going 14-6 with 10 saves and a 1.72 ERA. He then pitched two more seasons as a setup man for Henke, and later returned in a trade during the 1992 season, posting a 2.72 ERA the following season.
And Billy Koch (11-13, 3.57, 100 SV) also deserves a plug, given his 1999-2001 seasons as Toronto's closer. He had 31, 33, and 36 saves in those seasons, and had a 2.63 ERA in 2000. But that isn't enough to earn a spot on this roster.
Extra Spot:
I'll go with Shawn Green, but it is a close call with other candidates including Fred McGriff, Alfredo Griffin, and Shannon Stewart.
Team Captain:
This isn't an easy honor to give, but I'll go with pitcher Dave Stieb. You could make a case for several others, most notably Fernandez, Delgado, Carter, and Henke. But Stieb's consistency on the mound gives him this honor.
Starting Lineup
Tony Fernandez SS
Roberto Alomar 2B
Carlos Delgado 1B
Joe Carter OF
George Bell OF
Lloyd Moseby OF
Kelly Gruber 3B
Ernie Whitt C
Dave Stieb SP
A fairly potent lineup given that the team only dates back to 1977. Since they have always had a DH, it makes sense to envision their lineup with one, so George Bell could be used there, allowing Jesse Barfield's rocket arm to join the OF and his powerful bat to hit sixth.
Prospects for Current Players:
What are the prospects of current Blue Jays players making this all-time team? Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay are already on the team. Eric Hinske could one day become the backup at 3B, but I don't see any others on the verge. We'll see...
Other Lists
Blue Jays Retired Numbers
None. However, they have instituted a "Level of Excellence" in between the 300 and 400 levels in right and left field at the Rogers Centre (aka, the Skydome). The players honored here include players Tony Fernandez, George Bell, Joe Carter, and Dave Stieb.
2003 Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups
Neyer's starting lineup is the same as mine, with the exception of Barfield over Carter in the starting outfield. For the infield backups, he chose McGriff over Olerud at 1B, Griffin at SS, and Mulliniks at 3B. The outfield is Carter, White, and Green, which makes sense since Wells wasn't a candidate yet through the 2002 season. He also listed Paul Molitor and Cliff Johnson as two designated hitters, both of whom had brief stints in Toronto.
The top four starters are Stieb, Key, Hentgen, and Clancy. The next three are Wells, Guzman, and Stottlemyre, and then like I do, makes room for Clemens as the eighth starter. Henke and Ward are the obvious relief selections.
1985 The
All-Time All-Star Baseball Book by Bart Acocella,
Nick Acocella, and Donald Dewey
Written in 1985, the authors had less than a decade to draw on for their lineup. For what its worth, they went with Whitt, Stieb, Upshaw, Garcia, Griffin, Roy Howell at 3B, and Moseby, Barfield, and Bob Bailor in the OF.
1995 Baseball
Ratings by Charles S. Faber
Written in 1995, the most recent stars would not
have yet been eligible. The Faber system produces a very credible lineup with no surprises: Upshaw, Alomar, Fernandez, Gruber, Whitt, Moseby, Bell, Barfield, and Stieb.
TheBaseballPage.com (link)
This website (as of May 2006) selects Whitt and Borders at C, Delgado and Olerud at 1B, only Alomar at 2B, Fernandez and Griffin at SS, and Gruber and Mulliniks at 3B. That is fairly reasonable, as is the outfield of Bell and Cruz in LF, Moseby and White in CF, and Barfield in RF, although I'd have taken Stewart over Cruz in LF(especially since Cruz played more CF than LF anyway). And where is Joe Carter? I don't see him listed as a starter or honorable mention for either their Blue Jays or Indians all-time teams.
The starting pitchers are listed as Stieb, Key, Wells, Guzman, and Halladay. I think this shortchanges Hentgen, who is at least listed as an extra in the bullpen, and Clancy, who is only given honorable mention. Stottlemyre is even chosen ahead of him. Henke and Koch are the main two relievers, with Tony Castillo and John Cerutti also being listed, meaning that Duane Ward is left off the team.
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