Brandon Walker wound up yelling things at me that no one could understand as Frank laughed at us.
Like Frank says, there is no Mr. Blue Jay.
Because of this, the honorable mention list is very long.
Frank hasJoe Carternumber 2 on his list.
He doesn’t even make my Top 10.
His home run to end the 1993 World Series was one of the greatest moments in World Series history.
If you factor in WAR, Carter isn’t even a Top 24 Blue Jay.
Fred McGriffis tough to leave off the list because he’s one of my favorite players ever.
But he didn’t play in Toronto long enough.
I also don’t have any of the 1980’s outfieldersLloyd Moseby, George BellorJesse Barfield.
They each had a couple years of greatness but none of them could sustain it for long enough.
I don’t havePat Hentgen, Shawn GreenorVernon Wellseither.
But here’s my Top 10 Toronto Blue Jays of All-Time:
10.
Clemens won the Triple Crown of pitching BOTH years he was in Toronto.
I feel bad leavingJosh Donaldsonoff this list.
EE is 3rd all-time in Blue Jay home runs and had one of the biggest ones in team history.
He was a great college player and immediately went to the majors.
Fans became annoyed he wasn’t instantly great.
He was just…good.
Until he had an amazing 1993 season where he flirted with .400 into August.
He was always underrated.
The Blue Jays traded him to the Mets for Robert Person.
He went on to be the all-time OBP leader in Mets history.
He moved on to Seattle and was a major part of the 2001 Mariners who won 116 games.
Olerud is a borderline HOFer for me.
When he was on the ballot, he got a grand total of 4 votes.
That’s as many as Marquis Grissom got that year.
Also, I love how the video guy in this picture is wearing Reebok Pumps.
Jimmy Key(1984-92)
Jimmy Key is one of those guys that has been forgotten.
The older I get, the more I see it happen with very good but not great players.
It’s not like Key doesn’t have some major career highlights.
He led the league in ERA in 1987…but lost the Cy Young to Roger Clemens.
He led the league in wins in 1994 with the Yankees…but it was the strike season.
He’s fourth all-time in wins and third in ERA (tied for first among exclusively starting pitchers).
He even had a 0.75 ERA in 12 post-season innings for the 1992 Blue Jays in the playoffs.
There needs to be a place on a list like this for a guy that was always good.
Tony Fernandez (1983-90, 93, 98-99, 2001)
Tony Fernandez was there for all of it.
He’s the all-time leader in games played and hits.
He also was a really good player.
From 1986-89, Fernandez was the best defensive shortstop in the American League.
Finally, he was part of the biggest trade in team history.
It was a monster deal for both teams but it made a good Blue Jays team great.
Instead, it feels like those teams are just an afterthought.
Soon they will join Jimmy Key in the forgotten bin.
That’s not fair for such a great slugger as Bautista was.
He only has 344 career home runs.
But 288 came as a Blue Jay (2nd most in team history).
He hit 40 or more three different times.
Delgado instead spent his prime seasons on Blue Jays that were either average or just bad.
He’s the all-time leader in Blue Jay home runs and RBI’s.
Delgado last played in the majors at 37 due to hip issues.
He was only 27 home runs away from 500.
He made it to seven All-Star Games but shoulder and back injuries effectively ended his career early at 33.
Each time the no-hitter was broken up…until the fifth and final time.
He finally got his no-hitter.
Roberto Alomar (1991-95)
Roberto Alomar is the most important player in Blue Jays history.
If you look at Alomar’s stats, they aren’t as impressive as maybe they should be.
He was a player that was very good at everything.
The Blue Jays have removed his retired number banner.
Instead of being the face of the Blue Jays, he’s been excommunicated.
Roy Halladay (1998-09)
The Blue Jays were created the same year as the Seattle Mariners.
Someone with Roy Halladay’s resume wouldn’t be in the top three of all-time players on the Mariners.
Halladay’s Hall of Fame plaque has no logo on it.
Halladay was only in Philly for four seasons and two of those seasons were not good.
Instead, the Jays are still left looking for who that next great player could be.
If you do this same list 10-15 years from now, it will look very different.
If he stays healthy, you could see Alex Manoah on here as well.
They are coming off a 92 win season and I think they will make the playoffs again in 2023.
