· The Blue Jays were established as an expansion team in 1977.
· They got their name from a name the team contest because the chairman thought it was the most appropriate from the names submitted. It took its color scheme from the two major Toronto teams in the Maple Leafs and the Argonauts.
· They play their games at the Rogers Centre which is located in Downtown Toronto, Canada.
· They have made the playoffs six seven times with one wild card berth and six divisional titles.
· They have won two AL Pennants and two World Series Championships in 1992 & 1993.
Batting Lineup:
1. SS Tony Fernandez
2. 2B Roberto Alomar
3. LF George Bell
4. DH Carlos Delgado
5. RF Jesse Barfield
6. 1B John Olerud
7. CF Vernon Wells
8. C Ernie Whitt
9. 3B Kelly Gruber
Starting Rotation:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Dave Stieb
3. Jimmy Key
4. David Wells
5. Pat Hentgen
Bullpen:
1. Closer: Tom Henke
2. Mike Timlin
3. Billy Koch
4. BJ Ryan
5. Duane Ward
Bench:
OF-Joe Carter
OF-Devon White
INF-Alfredo Griffin
INF-Aaron Hill
Coaching Staff:
Manager-Cito Gaston
Cito Gaston managed the Blue Jays for twelve seasons where he finished with the most wins with 894. He guided them to four divisional titles, two AL Pennants and two World Series Championships in 1992 & 1993. They became the first/only team outside of the US to appear/win a World Series, fastest AL expansion team to win one and are one of two teams that are undefeated in multiple appearances in the World Series.
Bench Coach-John Gibbons
John Gibbons managed the Blue Jays for eleven seasons where he finished with the second most wins with the second most wins with 793. He guided them to the playoffs twice with one divisional title and one wild card berth. He started off as a bullpen catcher and first base coach before becoming a manager for them.
1B Coach-Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox managed the Blue Jays for four seasons where he finished with the third most wins with 355. He guided them to one divisional title and won AL Manager of the Year once.
3B Coach-Jimy Williams
Jimy Williams managed the Blue Jays for four seasons where he finished with the fourth most wins with 281. He started off in the minor leagues in managing before coming the third base coach and was fired mid-season for Cito Gaston who took the team on their most successful run. He had replaced Bobby Cox who had left to manage the Braves and when he was fired he went to work for him.
Hitting Coach-Carlos Tosca
Carlos Tosca managed the Blue Jays for three seasons where he finished with the fifth most wins with 191. He started off as their third base coached and guided them to two third place finishes.
Pitching Coach-John Farrell
John Farrell managed the Blue Jays for two seasons where he finished with the eight most wins with 154. He was traded to the Red Sox to be their manager after being their pitching coach he was the sixth manager to be traded.
Bullpen Coach-Jim Fregosi
Jim Fregosi managed the Blue Jays for two seasons where he finished with the sixth most wins with 167. He guided them during both seasons to two third place finishes that were both above .500.
There have been ten Hall of Fame players who have played for them at different points in their respective careers. They have two numbers retired for players. They also have a “Level of Excellence” club on the 400 level where they have honored seven players, a manager, a broadcaster, a GM and a VP.
Roberto Alomar spent five seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays as their greatest second basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2011, is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame and they retired his number 12. He made five of his twelve All-Star appearances, won five of his ten gold gloves, won one of his four silver sluggers, won the 1992 ALCS MVP and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the second highest batting average, second most walks, fifth most triples, sixth highest on base percentage and sixth highest offensive WAR to name some.
Roy Halladay pitched twelve seasons for the Blue Jays as their greatest pitcher where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2019, is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame and they retired his number 32. He made six of his eight All-Star appearances, won one AL CY Young Award and led the majors in wins once while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Blue Jays history like having the second highest WAR for pitchers, second best win-loss percentage, second most wins, strikeouts, and shutouts to name some.
Carlos Delgado spent twelve seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays as their greatest/longest tenured first basemen where he made both of his All-Star appearances, won all three of his silver sluggers, won the AL Hank Aaron Award, won the Roberto Clemente Award, led the AL in RBIs once, hit four home runs in a game, was on one World Series Championship team in 1993 while there and is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame. He also finished as the franchise leader for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the highest offensive WAR, slugging percentage, most plate appearances, runs scored, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks and extra base hits.
George Bell spent ten seasons in the outfield for the Blue Jays as their greatest left fielder where he made two of his three All-Star appearances, led the AL in RBIs, was the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, won all three of his silver sluggers, won the 1987 AL MVP while there and is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the fourth most extra base hits, RBIs, total bases, singles, fifth most doubles, at bats, hits, sixth most runs scored, plate appearances and home runs to name some.
Jesse Barfield spent nine seasons in the outfield for the Blue Jays as their greatest right fielder where he made his only All-Star appearance, won both of his gold gloves, won his only silver slugger and led the AL in home runs once while there. He worked a color commentator for them for two seasons. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the second highest defensive WAR, fourth highest WAR for position players, seventh most home runs, ninth most RBIs and extra base hits to name some.
Vernon Wells spent twelve seasons for the Blue Jays as their greatest/longest tenured center fielder where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, was in in one home run derby, won all three of his gold gloves and his only silver slugger while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the most at bats, second most hits, plate appearances, doubles, total bases, RBIs, extra base hits, singles, third in games played and runs scored to name some.
John Olerud spent eight seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays as their second greatest first baseman where he made one of his two All-Star appearances, won a batting title, led the AL in doubles once and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He also finished with the highest on base percentage, fourth most walks, sixth highest batting average, eighth highest WAR for position players, ninth most doubles and tenth highest offensive WAR in Blue Jays history.
Tony Fernandez spent twelve seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays as their greatest/longest tenured shortstop where he made four of his five All-Star appearances, had the record for most hits in a season for a shortstop, won all four of his gold gloves, was on one World Series Championship team in 1993 while there and is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Blue Jays history like having the highest defensive WAR, the most hits, singles, games played, second highest WAR for position players, second most at bats, third highest offensive WAR, third most plate appearances and doubles to name some.
Ernie Whitt spent twelve seasons behind the plate for the Blue Jays as their greatest/longest tenured catcher where he made his only All-Star appearance while there. He was their bench coach and first base coach for four seasons. He also finished with the third highest defensive WAR, sixth most games played, ninth most walks and tenth most home runs in Blue Jays history.
Kelly Gruber spent nine seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays as their greatest/longest tenured third basemen where he made both of his All-Star appearances, won his only silver slugger, hit the first cycle in Blue Jays history, won his only gold glove and was on one World Series Championship team in 1992 while there.
Dave Stieb pitched fifteen seasons for the Blue Jays where he made all seven of his All-Star appearances, led the AL in ERA once, pitched a no-hitter, was on one World Series Championship team in 1992 while there and is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame. He also finished as the franchise leader for many pitching categories in Blue Jays history like having the highest WAR for pitchers, the most wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, games started, complete games, and shutouts.
Jimmy Key pitched nine seasons for the Blue Jays where he made two of his four All-Star appearances, led the majors in ERA once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1992 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Blue Jays history like having the third highest WAR for pitchers, third lowest ERA, fourth most wins, innings pitched and shutout to name some.
David Wells pitched eight seasons for the Blue Jays where he made one of his three All-Star appearances, led the AL in wins once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1992 while there. He also finished with the fourth best win loss percentage, sixth most wins, seventh most innings pitched, strikeouts, ninth most games started and ninth highest WAR for pitchers in Blue Jays history.
Pat Hentgen pitched ten seasons for the Blue Jays where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, won one AL CY Young Award and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He worked as their bullpen coach twice and is a special assistant to the team. He also finished with the fourth highest WAR for pitchers, fourth most complete games, fifth most wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, shutouts and games started in Blue Jays history. Other notable starters in Blue Jays history have been AJ Burnett, Roger Clemens, Juan Guzman, Jim Clancy, Doyle Alexander, Dave Lemanczyk, Ted Lilly, Al Leiter, Mike Flanagan, Shaun Marcum, RA Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Chris Carpenter, Dave Stewart, Marcus Stroman who is active and Hall of Famer Jack Morris.
Joe Carter spent seven seasons in the outfield for the Blue Jays where he made all five of his All-Star appearances, won both of his silver sluggers, was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there and is in the Blue Jays Hall of Fame. He also finished with the fifth most home runs, RBIs, sixth most extra base hits, seventh most at bats, plate appearances, total bases, eight most doubles and hits to name some.
Devon White spent five seasons in the outfield for the Blue Jays where he made one of his three All-Star appearances, won five of his seven gold gloves and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He is currently their AAA hitting coach. He also has the fourth highest defensive WAR, sixth most stolen bases, seventh most triples and ninth highest WAR for position players in Blue Jays history. Other notable outfielders in Blue Jays history have been Shannon Stewart, Adam Lind, Mookie Wilson, Lloyd Moseby, Shawn Green, Raul Mondesi, Reed Johnson, Rico Carty, Frank Catalanotto, Colby Rasmus, Jose Canseco, Alex Rios, Michael Saunders, Jose Cruz Jr, active players Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Hall of Fame Dave Winfield.
Alfredo Griffin spent eight seasons for the Blue Jays where he made his only All-Star appearance, won AL Rookie of the Year and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He worked for two seasons as a coach for them. He also finished with the third most triples and eight most singles in Blue Jays history.
Aaron Hill spent seven seasons in the infield for the Blue Jays where he made his only All-Star appearance, won one of his two silver sluggers and won AL Comeback Player of the Year while there. He also finished with the eighth highest defensive WAR in Blue Jays history. Other notable infielders in Blue Jays history have been Fred McGriff, John Mayberry, Lyle Overbay, Orlando Hudson, Damaso Garcia, Troy Glaus, Tony Bautista, Ed Sprague, Roy Howell, Alex Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, active players Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Reyes, Hall of Famers Frank Thomas and Paul Molitor.
Darrin Fletcher spent five seasons behind the plate for the Blue Jays where he had a career high in RBIs, had his first .300 batting average season, had a career high in home runs and hit three home runs in one game while there. Other notable catchers in Blue Jays history have been Pat Borders, Buck Martinez, Gregg Zaun, Lance Parrish, Cliff Johnson, Rich Cerone, Rod Barajas and Russell Martin who is active.
Tom Henke was the Blue Jays closer for eight seasons where he where made one of his two All-Star appearances, led the AL in saves once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1992 while there. He also finished with the most saves, games finished, lowest ERA, third most games played and eight highest WAR for pitchers in Blue Jays history.
Mike Timlin was the Blue Jays closer for seven seasons where he was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He also finished with the fourth most games finished and eight most saves in Blue Jays history.
Billy Koch was the Blue Jays closer for three seasons where he finished with the fourth most saves and seventh most games played in Blue Jays history while there.
BJ Ryan was the Blue Jays closer for four seasons where he made one of his two All-Star appearances while there. He also finished with the sixth most saves in Blue Jays history.
Duane Ward was the Blue Jays closer ten seasons where he made his only All-Star appearance, led the AL in saves once and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1992 & 1993 while there. He also finished with the second lowest ERA, second mot saves, games played, games finished and tenth most strikeouts in Blue Jays history.
Kelvim Escobar pitched seven seasons for the Blue Jays as a closer and a starter where he finished with the seventh most saves, eight most strikeouts, games finished and tenth most wins in Blue Jays history while there. Other notable relievers in Blue Jays history have been Paul Quantrill, Jim Gott, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Dennis Lamp, Dan Plesac and active pitchers Casey Janssen and Brett Cecil.
