The Top 50 Blue Jays of All Time: 50 to 46

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

• Introduction

Over the years, the Toronto Blue Jays have had many players who donned their jersey and played a starring role. Whether it be during the team’s years of struggle or during their contending regimes, there were a select number of Jays that made an indelible mark on the organization. Now, through careful analysis in the selection process, we bring to you our distinguished list of the top 50 Blue Jays of all time.

Here, we begin the countdown, starting with numbers 50 to 46.

No. 50: Buck Martinez

• Blue Jays Career Stats: 454 GP, .222 average, .675 OPS, 114 runs scored, 35 home runs, 154 RBIs, 3.5 bWAR
• Accolades/Accomplishments: 2023 Jack Graney Award

Buck Martinez may not be the first name that people would come up with in terms of his contributions to the Jays during his time in the majors. But he has definitely cemented himself as a Blue Jay for life after what he has done for the organization following his retirement as a player.

Martinez became a colour commentator for Toronto initially, and later on even managed the Blue Jays in a stint between 2001 and 2002; he compiled a 100-115 managerial record over the two seasons.

More significantly, Martinez became the official voice of the Blue Jays by becoming their everyday play-by-play announcer in 2010. From then on, Jays fans enjoyed the flair and excitement that he brought with his broadcasting for the next decade and a half. He was recognized for his excellence with the Jack Graney Award in 2023. Martinez announced his retirement last month, and he leaves behind him a legacy of service to the organization that Jays fans will forever remember.

No. 49: Mark Eichhorn

• Blue Jays Career Stats: 279 GP, 29-19 record, 15 saves, 3.03 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 493 IP, 372 strikeouts, 11.5 bWAR
• Accolades/Accomplishments: 1986 AL Rookie of the Year finalist

When it comes to some of the side-earm submariners that have pitched for the Blue Jays over the years, the first and most obvious one that should come to mind is none other than reliever Mark Eichhorn. After failing as a starter when he was first brought up by the Jays back in 1982, Eichhorn reinvented himself as a multi-inning reliever in the subsequent years, and boy, was that a brilliant move.

The side-arm reliever instantly found himself among the elite bullpen arms in the league, finishing sixth in Cy Young voting and third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1986 after going a stellar 14-6 with a 1.72 ERA over 69 relief appearances. More importantly, as one of the key cogs of the Jays’ relief corps, Eichhorn was instrumental in helping Toronto in their two postseason runs in 1992 and 1993. Without the elusive side-armer, the Blue Jays might still be searching for their first World Series title.

No. 48: José Cruz Jr.

• Blue Jays Career Stats: 698 GP, .250 average, .793 OPS, 396 runs scored, 122 home runs, 355 RBIs, 11.5 bWAR
• Accolades/Accomplishments: 1997 AL Rookie of the Year finalist, 2003 Gold Glove winner

Back when the Blue Jays made their 1997 trade deadline deal for José Cruz Jr., many were surprised that it only cost Toronto pitchers Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric to get it done. After all, Cruz was one of the top prospects in all of baseball at the time, and his potential had him destined to become a star in the major leagues.

Despite the Jays outfielder never fully reaching that potential, he did manage to produce two 30+ home run and three 70+ RBI seasons in the six years that he ended up spending with the organization. His best season came in 2001 when he posted a solid .274 average and .857 OPS, along with 92 runs scored, 34 home runs, 88 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in just 146 games played. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to lead the Jays to success, as they failed to make the playoffs during his tenure with the club.

No. 47: Marco Estrada

• Blue Jays Career Stats: 124 GP, 39-40 record, 4.25 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 686 2/3 IP, 575 strikeouts, 9.6 bWAR
• Accolades/Accomplishments: 2016 All-Star

Despite not being viewed as a frontline starter for much of his MLB career, Marco Estrada nonetheless became a difference maker for the Blue Jays during his four-year stint with the club. In particular, he played a key role during the Jays’ two postseason runs in 2015 and 2016, even with the likes of former Cy Young winners R.A. Dickey and David Price being around.

It was Estrada who was handed the ball with the Blue Jays on the verge of elimination, down two games to none in the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers. He would prevail to help kick off the amazing series comeback win for Toronto, which of course included José Bautista’s Game 5 bat flip home run heard around the world.

Estrada would follow that up the next season, pitching a gem in Game 1 of the 2016 ALDS for the Jays against the Rangers once again, paving the way to Toronto's three-game sweep over Texas. Even though the spotlight was focused on many of his teammates, it was Estrada who provided the much-needed stability for the Blue Jays' postseason rotation that enabled them to go on two deep playoff runs.

No. 46: Todd Stottlemyre

• Blue Jays Career Stats: 206 GP, 69-70 record, 4.39 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 1139 IP, 662 strikeouts, 10.2 bWAR
• Accolades/Accomplishments: 8 seasons of 10+ wins

As a high first-round pick from the 1985 MLB Draft, there were high expectations for Todd Stottlemyre. He was supposed to help the Blue Jays become legitimate contenders after years of working to establish themselves in the league. Stottlemyre didn’t end up posting the big numbers that were expected of him, but he did succeed in taking the Jays to the postseason in four of his seven seasons with the team.

His best year with Toronto came in 1991 when he registered a 15-8 record with a 3.9 bWAR, 3.78 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 34 starts. Stottlemyre’s best postseason performance came in 1992 when he was used as a reliever due to Toronto’s stacked rotation featuring Jack Morris, David Cone, Jimmy Key and Juan Guzman. In five playoff appearances, Stottlemyre yielded only one run on seven hits along with five strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings for a stellar 1.23 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. But for Blue Jays fans, Stottlemyre will likely be forever remembered for his aggressive baserunning play against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series, in which he scraped his chin on a head-first slide while getting thrown out at third base.