Welcome to the first of a
41-part series that will rank the top 40 Toronto Blue Jays players of all time.
While I could easily have made this a top 50 list, I will keep it to 40 as 2016
is the 40th season for the franchise. Ranking the top 40 players was
not easy and I expect there to be some disagreements, especially as we get to
the top of the list. What was even harder was eliminating some of my favourite
players from the list.
That is why the first
installment of this series will be an honourable mention list. It will be in
alphabetical order and only a brief bio of the player’s tenure with the team.
Enjoy.
Toronto Blue Jays: Top 40 Players of All-time
Honourable Mentions
Garth Iorg – Iorg was one of the
original Blue Jays taken in the 1976 expansion draft and played with the team
briefly in 1978 and then permanently from 1980 through to the end of 1987.
Primarily a utility man for the first few years of his career, he platooned
with Rance Mulliniks at third base for the majority of his years in Toronto.
His best season was 1985 when he batted .313 in 131 games while hitting seven
home runs and adding 37 RBIS while helping the team to their first division
title.
Manny Lee – One of many outstanding
defensive middle infielders the Jays snatched from the baseball-rich Dominican
Republic, Lee arrived in Toronto as a back-up shortstop in 1985. A few years
later, he was platooning at second base with another Dominican, Nelson Liriano,
before becoming the everyday shortstop in 1991. His final year in Toronto
(1992) would prove to be his best offensively as he batted .263 and drove in 39
runs from the number nine sport in order while helping the Jays to their first
World Championship.
Candy Maldonado – The right-handed
slugger, who primarily played left field, had two stints with the Jays in his
career. While the second was a blip on the radar (he played 61 games in 1995)
it was his first go-around that will be remembered. Picked up in August of 1991
in a trade with Milwaukee, Maldonado was a key contributor to the 1992
Championship team. During the ’92 season, he batted .272 with 20 homers and 66
RBIs and knocked in the game-winning run in Game 2 of the World Series with a
two-strike double off Braves’ closer Jeff Reardon in the bottom of the ninth.
Buck Martinez – Martinez has served
various roles with the Toronto organization, first as a player (1981-86), then
as a colour commentator on their television broadcasts (1987-94) then as the
team’s on-field manager (2000-02) before returning to their broadcast booth as
the play-by-play announcer in 2010, a position he still holds. During his
playing days, he was a catcher, platooning with Ernie Whitt, and didn’t
contribute much offensively.
Jack Morris – Morris was the highly
sought-after free agent that the Jays landed after the 1991 season. Morris had
just led the Minnesota Twins to the World Series championship and was expected
to do the same for the Jays. In 1992, Morris lived up to his expectations in
the regular season when he became the first Toronto hurler to win 20 games in a
season (he ended up with 21.) But he struggled in the post season, losing three
of his four starts (his other start was the big comeback by Toronto in Game 4
of the ALCS). In 1993, Morris was only 7-12 and his ERA ballooned to 6.19. Due
to injuries, he was left off the post season roster and left the team after the
season ended.
Rance Mulliniks – This was the hardest
one to leave off the Top 40 list as Rance was always one of my favourite Blue Jays.
He played with Toronto from 1982 until 1992, mostly as a third baseman. For the
first part of his tenure with the Jays, he platooned with Garth Iorg at third.
Once Kelly Gruber came along, Mulliniks was relegated to a designated
hitter/utility player role. His best year offensively was 1988 when he batted
.300, hit 12 home runs and had 48 RBIs while playing in 119 games.
B.J. Ryan – Oh, what might have been.
Ryan could have easily been the best closer in Blue Jays history if not for
injuries. He was acquired from Baltimore prior to the 2006 season and was
lights-out for the Toronto bull pen. A 1.37 ERA and 38 saves was a perfect
start to his career with the Jays. But injuries plagued him for his next three
years with the team. He posted only three saves in 2007, and only two in 2009.
In between, he managed to save 32 games but the dominant presence he had on the
mound in 2006 was no longer there. He retired after the 2009 season.
Mike Timlin – Timlin was another tough
one to leave off the list because of his bullpen contribution during the 1992
World Series (he saved the Series’ clinching game.) He was the Jays’ closer in
1996, saving 31 games and finished his Toronto career with 52 saves. He would rejuvenate
his career with the Boston Red Sox while being a strong middle inning reliever,
helping Boston win World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007.
Future Possibilities?
There are a couple of players on
the Jays’ current roster who have an opportunity to be on the top 50 players
when the team’s 50th anniversary rolls around. That is if they keep
up their stellar play and stay with Toronto for a few more years. That would be
Kevin Pillar and Marcus Stroman.
Pillar was a bit player in 2013
and 2014 but finally won a starting spot last year. He played all but three
games in the regular season, batting .278, hitting 12 home runs, 56 RBIs and
stealing 25 bases. His defense is nothing short of spectacular and he should be
a solid player for years to come. But his name kept coming up in trade rumours
all throughout the off season. Hopefully, the Jays’ management won’t do
anything stupid and they hang on to him. He’s a player you’re going to want for
a while.
As far as Stroman goes, he is
the starting pitcher to replace David Price, as far as I’m concerned. He only
pitched in four games last year after suffering a severe knee injury in Spring
Training but he won all four of those games and had a 1.67 ERA. He posted an
11-6 record in his rookie season in 2014 and if his knee stays healthy and with
the Jays’ booming bats on offense, he could win 20 games in 2016.
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