The baseball season is in full swing, and your Toronto Blue Jays are making the most out of their rebuilding year. As we celebrate the formative years of young up-and-comers like Travis Snider, J.P. Arencibia, Brandon Morrow and Eric Thames, as well as the emergence of some if-not-now-than-soon-to-be elite players like Jose Bautista, Adam Lind, Ricky Romero and Yunel Escobar, I thought I’d take a look back at some previous Blue Jays greats. In the franchise’s 34 year history, we’ve seen a lot of great players come and go, and make huge impacts on the team and the city of Toronto in the process. This year a Blue Jay finally entered the Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay, so what better way to celebrate that:
…then by looking back at the best players to ever don a Jays uniform!
(As a side note, I’ve decided to exclude any players who were either a) here for a short time or b) are better known for their services on other teams. So no complaining about the omissions of players like Paul Molitor or Roger Clemens, alright?).
We begin our list with one of the most beloved Blue Jays of all time, a man who (in my opinion) optimized the spirit of the team more than any other player. Joe Carter never hit for average, but in his seven years with the Blue Jays (1991-1997) he was one of their most feared sluggers, batting clean-up with at least 20 or more home runs per season. He secured his place in Blue Jays lore with his involvement in “The Trade,” which was perhaps the defining moment of the franchise’s history. The controversial trade saw the Jays send first basemen Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernandez to the San Diego Padres for Carter and a young and up-and-coming second basemen named Roberto Alomar. At the time, it seemed as though the Blue Jays had got the short end of the stick in the deal; history would prove otherwise, as Carter and Alomar became instrumental in securing the Jays back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and ’93. Of course, that wasn’t Carter’s only claim to fame in hallowed Blue Jays lore; his walk-off home run in Game Six of the 1993 World Series off of heavily mulleted Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams, is the stuff of legends, and made Joe a hero not just to a city, but to an entire country.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the “closer” role in baseball. I think it’s a completely hyped up position that can let teams down more often than not; that is, of course, unless you have a good one. Tom Henke of course, was a good one, and perhaps the last good closer Toronto has ever had. Nicknamed “the Terminator,” because of his ability to destroy batters (as well as the fact that he played with the team from 1985-1992, the prime years when that movie was popular) Henke finished in the top ten in saves in six of his eight seasons as a Blue Jay. He managed at least 20 saves each season he was with us, and led the league in 1987 with 34. His ERA only peaked above 3.00 once in his entire tenure here, and in that magical year of 1987, he posted a ridiculous ERA of 1.92. Dominant doesn’t even begin to describe Tom Henke – at least when he was with us, that is. (On a side note, he also kind of looks like Stephen King. Which is awesome, for some reason. Trust me).
Jimmy Key (1984-1992) was probably the best left-handed starting pitcher the Blue Jays have ever employed, and was one of the most dominant pitchers in the 80s, period. He began his career with Toronto as a reliever in his rookie season, managing ten saves. After that, he was moved into the starting lineup where he posted double-digit win seasons for the rest of his time as a Jay. Like Henke, his best season came in 1987, going 17-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 161 strikeouts – finishing second in Cy Young voting. With Key at the start of the lineup and Henke mopping up at the end, the Jays had a formidable pitching force throughout the 80s.
Tony Fernandez was one of the best defensive shortstops of his era, posting a mind-boggling .992 fielding percentage in 1989, which set a record for his position. In total, he spent eleven years with the Blue Jays, spread out in chunks over a period from 1983-2001. His longest stint was his first, and possibly his best. Debuting with the Jays in 1983, Fernandez was promoted to full time shortstop in 1985, and seemingly never looked back. In that time, he won four consecutive gold gloves at short, and was elected to the All Star team three times. He, along with Fred McGriff, was dealt to the Padres in 1991 for Carter and Alomar, setting the table for the Blue Jays early ’90s dominance. Not to be left out, Tony returned to the team in 1993 for one year, creating a spectacular double-play duo with All-Star second basemen Roberto Alomar, and winning his first (and only) World Series championship. He would return again in 1998 at the age of 36, posting two more spectacular seasons that would see him finish in the top ten in batting average in the American League (no easy task) and even garner him his fifth, and final, All-Star selection. His last season in the Bigs was in 2001, and, fittingly, he ended his remarkable career with the team who originally gave him his start – the Toronto Blue Jays.
I may be slightly biased here, as John Olerud is my all time favorite ball-player. When I started to really get into baseball, and the Blue Jays in the early ’90s, Olerud was a boss. The dude played first base, wore a helmet at all times, and couldn’t run to save his life. I think the last part was what really solidified my love and respect for Olerud; finally, an athlete who couldn’t run without looking completely ridiculous, just like me! But the one thing John could do better than me, and for a time, better than most, was hit. In his seven years with the Blue Jays (1989-1996) Olerud was an offensive beast. Originally platooned at first base by manager Cito Gaston, Olerud finally broke-out with a monster season in 1993, a year when, let’s face it – most Blue Jays were having monster seasons. In 1993, Olerud led the American League in batting average (.363), runs created (156), intentional walks (33), on base percentage (.473), OPS (1.072), and doubles (54), while achieving career highs in home runs (24), RBI (107), runs (109), and hits (200). To top it all off, he flirted with a .400 average for the majority of the season, with it staying higher than .400 into mid-August – a truly remarkable feat. He had many solid seasons after that, but failed to live up to that one year, and with a young Carlos Delgado knocking at the first base door, was eventually traded. His career never really matched the heights of his time with the Blue Jays, but for that incredible 1993 season, he will forever be remembered as one of the best first basemen the Jays have ever had.
George Bell was the first real superstar to ever come out of Toronto, and remains the franchise’s only MVP winner (though Jose Bautista looks like he may next in line this season). He won the MVP in 1987, with a .308 batting average, 47 home runs, and 134 RBIs. His 47 home runs stood for over twenty years as the Blue Jays all time record for round trippers in a single season, until Bautista crushed it in 2010 with 54. George played with the Jays in 1981, and then from 1983-1990, and is still in the top five of many of the teams individual offensive records. He’s also well known for his off-field antics and outspoken attitude – an attitude that has garnered him a love-hate relationship with Toronto. Regardless of Bell’s extracurricular activities, he remains one of the best hitters the Jays have ever had, and deserves a place on this list.
What can be said about Roy Halladay? He’s the most recent player to make this list, and for good reason. He played his first twelve seasons with the Blue Jays, and became a fan favorite and face of the franchise during the majority of his tenure here. After a rough first couple of years in the majors (including his dreadful 2000 season, when he posted an ERA of 10.64 – the worst in history for a pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched), Doc was sent down to AA to improve his deliver. And the rest, as they say, is history.
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that since his breakout season in 2002, Roy Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball – and perhaps even the most dominant. Regardless, he’s certainly been the most consistent. He almost routinely leads the league in complete games and innings pitched, and is always among the top five in ERA, strikeouts and wins. In 2003, he won his first Cy Young after leading the American League in wins (22), complete games (9), shut-outs (2) and innings pitched (266). Reliable is Doc’s middle name, and when he was traded last year to the Philadelphia Phillies, I think it’s safe to say that Jays fans across Canada died a little inside. I know I did.
Carlos Delgado is arguably the greatest slugger the team has ever had. He remains first in franchise history in slugging percentage (.556), home runs (336) RBIs (1058) and runs (889). He is second in on base percentage (.392) and hits (1413) and had three seasons with at least 40 home runs and 130 RBIs. His best single season with the Blue Jays was in 2000, when he hit for a .344 batting average with 41 home runs, 137 RBI and finishing fourth in each Triple Crown category. Three Silver Slugger awards and two All-Star appearances round out his list of impressive accolades while a Jay, but the fact remains that while he was in Toronto (1993-2004), Delgado was on of the premier power hitters in all of baseball – and quite possibly the most fearsome offensive player in franchise history.
No offense to Roy Halladay, but Dave Stieb is the best pitcher in Blue Jays history.
Stieb spent almost his entire career in Toronto (1979-1992, and his return in 1998), and still leads the franchise in wins (175) and strikeouts (1658). He trailed only Jack Morris in wins in the 1980s, and holds a career ERA of 3.44. A seven time All Star, Stieb never won the Cy Young award; though to this day, he is the only Blue Jays pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter, in 1990 against the Cleveland Indians. (Halladay never threw a no-hitter as a Blue Jay – though threw a post-game no-hitter as well as a regular season perfect game in his first year as a Phillie. Of course). Stieb signed what was, at the time, one of the richest contracts in baseball in 1985. The contract seemed almost excessive in the innocent days of the 1980s, but as salaries increased over the league, it became a huge bargain. As he was instrumental in the Jays early successes in the 1980s, the Blue Jays actually offered to renegotiate his contract for his years of loyal service to pay him higher in his later years with the team, an unprecedented event.
Had Halladay stayed with the Jays, he may have emerged as the franchise’s greatest pitcher; with his time as a Jay behind him, though, the mantle remains where it should – with Dave Stieb and his glorious mustache.
While Carlos Delgado may be the greatest offensive Blue Jay of all time, and Dave Stieb the greatest pitcher, there is no doubt that Roberto Alomar was the greatest all around player to ever don the uniform. This year, any debate about whether or not he was THE best were put to rest when Alomar garnered 90% of the vote on his second Hall of Fame ballot – becoming the first player in history to enter the hall sporting a Blue Jays cap. But even before his eventual (and let’s face it, inevitable) entrance into Cooperstown, there was little doubt that Robbie was head and shoulders above anyone else to ever play in Toronto.
It was during his five seasons with the Jays that Alomar developed into a premier second basemen; he not only won the Gold Glove for defense in every year that he played here (and then five more straight years after that) but was also voted to the All Star team in all five of those years as well (and again, an astounding seven straight times after he left). His home-run off uber-closer Dennis Eckersley in the 1992 ACLS is considered by many to be one of the most important moments in Blue Jays history; before that hit, every trip the Jays had made to the playoffs had ended in defeat. He appeared in two World Series as a Blue Jay, and the team would win both of them. In 2,706 at-bats with Toronto, Alomar batted .307 with 152 doubles, 36 triples, 55 homers and 342 RBI. Alomar’s .307 batting average is tops for the franchise.
The bottom line is this: not only is Roberto Alomar the greatest player in Blue Jays history, but he stands as arguably one of the greatest second basemen in all of baseball.
