The Top 50 Blue Jays of All Time: 40 to 36

[Leo Morgenstern]

Jays Centre is counting down the top 50 Blue Jays in franchise history. Check out prior entries in the series here:

• Introduction 
• 50 to 46
• 45 to 41 

This next installment of our top 50 countdown includes a couple of All-Star second basemen and a pair of mustachioed, high-volume hurlers. But before we get to those guys, let’s kick things off with the most recent Blue Jay to win the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. 

No. 40: Adam Lind

• 2006-2014 
• DH/1B/LF
• Blue Jays stats: 953 games, 146 home runs, 519 RBI, 111 wRC+, 6.9 fWAR
• Accolades: Silver Slugger, Edgar Martínez Award

Designated hitters were a huge part of the Blue Jays’ success in 1992 and ‘93, when future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor won back-to-back Outstanding DH Awards for their work in the heart of Toronto’s lineup. In the 30-plus years since, only one other Blue Jay has taken home that prize: Adam Lind.

Lind was phenomenal in his first full campaign, hitting 35 home runs and driving in 114 for the 2009 Jays. He finished the year with a 140 wRC+, earning the Edgar Martínez Award, a Silver Slugger, and some down-ballot votes for AL MVP. The highlights of his season were an 18-10 Blue Jays victory over the Rangers, in which Lind hit two homers (including a grand slam) and drove in eight, and a three-homer performance in an 8-7 win over the Red Sox in his final game of the year.

Lind never quite rediscovered that 2009 magic, but he finished his Blue Jays career on another high note, batting .301 with 29 homers, 107 RBI, and a 136 wRC+ in 239 games from 2013-14. After the 2014 season, the Jays traded Lind to the Brewers for Marco Estrada (who came in at No. 47 on our list).

All in all, Lind spent nine years with Toronto. He ranks 15th in plate appearances as a Blue Jay (3,726) and 10th in home runs (146). According to wRC+, his 2009 season was one of the top 30 offensive campaigns in team history.

No. 39: David Wells

• 1987-92, 1999-2000
• LHP
• Blue Jays stats: 306 games, 138 starts, 18 complete games, 13 saves, 784 strikeouts, 19.1 fWAR
• Accolades: All-Star, AL wins leader, World Series champion

David “Boomer” Wells spent eight of his 21 big league seasons in Toronto, pitching for the Blue Jays from 1987-92 and again from 1999-2000. While he would eventually gain a reputation as a workhorse starting pitcher, he could never quite secure a starting role in his first go-round with the Jays.

Following a phenomenal breakout season in relief in 1989 (86.1 IP, 2.40 ERA), Wells would get his first real chance as a starter in 1990. Over the next three years, he bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, pitching 507.1 innings and starting in just over half of his appearances. He pitched quite well from 1990-91, but a high BABIP and low strand rate caused him trouble in 1992. Despite the 4.1 scoreless innings he threw in October, the Jays released him the subsequent spring.

Fresh off an excellent 1998 – in which he threw a perfect game and won a World Series with the Yankees – Wells came back to Toronto, as part of the package that sent Roger Clemens to the Yankees. Firmly a starter now, Wells made 69 starts for the Jays from 1999-2000, the exact same number he made over six years in his first stint with Toronto. His 2000 season was arguably the best of his career. He earned an All-Star nod, led the AL in wins, and finished third in Cy Young voting. According to FanGraphs WAR, it stands as the best season by a Blue Jays pitcher not named Clemens or Halladay.

Only eight pitchers have started more career games for Toronto than Wells, and only six have thrown more innings. His 784 strikeouts rank eighth, his 19.1 fWAR ranks seventh, and his 84 wins rank sixth. 

No. 38: Aaron Hill

• 2005-11
• 2B
• Blue Jays stats: 875 games, 881 hits, 436 runs, 92 wRC+, 44 DRS, 12.4 fWAR
• Accolades: All-Star, Silver Slugger, Comeback Player of the Year

Aaron Hill first made a name for himself as a defense-first second baseman. Then, established himself as a core player for the Blue Jays when he proved he could make an impact at the plate in 2007. 

While a nasty concussion ruined his 2008 campaign, Hill was better than ever in 2009. He made the All-Star team that summer and won a Silver Slugger in the fall. His 36 home runs and 108 RBI led all second basemen. It was a remarkable performance following such a scary season-ending injury the year before. Hill became the first Blue Jays player to win the AL Comeback Player of the Year, and he remains the only Blue Jay to ever take home the prize. 

Ultimately, much of what Hill accomplished in his Blue Jays career was in those two seasons. Still, he ranks among the team’s top 20 in plate appearances, hits, and runs scored. According to DRS, he is also one of Toronto’s best defensive players of the 21st century. 

No. 37: Damaso Garcia

• 1980-86
• 2B
• Blue Jays stats: 902 games, 1,028 hits, 453 runs, 194 stolen bases, 85 wRC+, 8.7 fWAR
• Accolades: Two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger

From a modern-day perspective, the numbers don’t paint a particularly rosy picture of Damaso Garcia's tenure with the Blue Jays. While he made two All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger, and even earned a couple of down-ballot MVP votes, he never had a season with an OPS or wRC+ above league-average. What is undeniable, however, is that Garcia was a threat on the bases. His 194 steals rank third in Blue Jays history (just don’t think much about the fact that his 86 caught stealings are tied for first).

It is also undeniable that Garcia was essential to the Blue Jays forming their identity in the 1980s. By the time he was traded in 1987, he ranked third in team history in games played and runs scored; he was first in hits and stolen bases. Even now, only nine players have more hits in a Blue Jays uniform, and Garcia remains one of only five to have stolen 50-plus bases in a season.

No. 36: Doyle Alexander

• 1983-1986
• RHP
• Blue Jays stats: 106 games, 750 innings, 25 complete games, 392 strikeouts, 3.56 ERA, 11.2 fWAR

The definition of a journeyman, Doyle Alexander had already switched teams seven times before he landed with Toronto in his 13th big league season. He was coming off an especially poor performance with the Yankees, but the Blue Jays believed he could bounce back – and they were right. 

The Jays won their first division title in 1985, and you’ll find all five members of their 1985 starting rotation on our top 50 list. Alexander didn’t stick around as long as Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Jim Clancy, or even Luis Leal, but he certainly made his mark in the years he spent with the club. Through parts of four seasons, Alexander pitched 750 innings (17th in team history), won 46 games (18th), and racked up 11.2 fWAR (15th). His two full seasons with the Blue Jays (1984 and ‘85) were arguably the best of his career. He earned down-ballot MVP support both years and finished sixth in Cy Young voting in 1985.

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