The son of Baseball Hall of Famer, Vladimir Guerrero, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was an expected superstar based on his pedigree and skill.  He did not disappoint.

Guerrero was signed as an amateur Free Agent with Toronto in 2015 and was called up four years later in the 2019 Season.  The dynamic First Baseman was sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and belted 15 Home Runs.  Guerrero was solid in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but his 2021 campaign was MVP-worthy had there not been Shohei Ohtani.  Guerrero won the Hank Aaron Award, went to his first All-Star Game, captured the Silver Slugger, and led the AL in Runs (123), Home Runs (48), OBP (.401), Slugging (.601), and OPS (1.002).

The First Baseman was not as potent with his bat in 2022 (32 HR, .818 OPS), but he shored up his defense and won the Gold Glove.  In 2023, was also a disappointent with an OPS of less than .800, and 26 Home Rune, but after a slow atart in 2024, he exoloded with a sixth-place MVP finish, a fourth All-Star, and 30 Home Runs

Vladdy is entering his contract year in 2025, but if he stat=ys, this a top-five franchise player.

The ranking of Joe Carter is complex, and it feels like there is always one player in every Top 50 where this occurs.

Hopefully, we can explain.

Before the 1991 Season, Carter was traded from San Diego for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez in a deal that brought over future Hall of Fame Second Baseman Roberto Alomar.  Carter brought the Jays power, winning two Silver Sluggers for Toronto and 203 Home Runs over seven seasons with 736 RBIs.  The MVP voters were fond of Carter, as his consistent top-ten finishes in Home Runs and RBIs earned him two top-five finishes for the most coveted individual award in Baseball (5^th in 1991 and 3^rd in 1992).

After helping to propel Toronto to their first World Series in 1992, Carter took them to another Fall Classic in 1993 and blasted the walk-off Series-winning tater in Game 6, which will forever be the biggest Home Run in franchise history.  

Carter stayed with Toronto until 1997 when he signed with Baltimore as a Free Agent.

Here is what kept Carter out of the top ten.  In no season did he ever walk 50 times, nor have an OBP over .330.  Carter’s OPS for Toronto is under .800, which for a cleanup hitter is a little surprising.  He was also a terrible defensive player and had a bWAR as a Blue Jay well under ten.

With all the negatives aside, Carter is the most iconic player in Jays history, and it will be a hell of a lot to supplant that.

The Blue Jays named Carter to their Level of Excellence, and he is also enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Before his mid-2009 trade from Cincinnati, Edwin Encarnacion was a non-descript player with a lot of power but bordering on one-dimensional.  This was the player that Toronto wanted when they traded Scott Rolen at the trading deadline, and they would eventually be proven right.

After an inconsistent 2010 Season, Oakland claimed Encarnacion off of waivers but was non-tendered, allowing him to test free agency.  The Jays signed him back, and the patience began to pay off.  

Encarnacion was never a great fielder, and by mid-2011, he played mainly as a Designated Hitter.  He finally broke out in 2012, blasting 42 Home Runs, with 110 RBIs and career-highs in all three Slash Line components (.280/.384/.557).  Encarnacion was 11^th in MVP voting, and over the next five years, he would at least receive votes for the MVP in four of them.  

With Encarnacion in place at DH, he proved he was not a one-season fluke, as he eclipsed 30 Home Runs over the next five years and had at least 98 RBIs in all of them, including a league-leading 127 in 2016.  Encarnacion never won the Edgar Martinez Award as the league's top DH, but in the mid-10s, he was among the best and helped Toronto reach the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.

Encarnacion left the Jays for Cleveland as a Free Agent in 2017, and for the team, he batted .268 with 239 Home Runs with 977 Hits.

The Philadelphia Phillies first signed George Bell in 1978, but the Blue Jays nabbed him in the Rule 5 Draft, forcing Bell to play his entire season in the Majors, arguably before he was ready.  After a season-and-a-half in the Minors, Bell was called up for good to play in Leftfield as Toronto's starter, and he quickly turned heads with his power.  

Bell hit 26 Home Runs in his first full year and 28 the year after when the Blue Jays made it to their first postseason.  After another year of improvement (1986, 31 HR, 108 RBI, .309), where he was fourth in MVP voting, Bell had his best year in Baseball, and though Toronto had already made the playoffs before, many felt that this was when the Jays had arrived.

In 1987, Bell won the MVP and the Major League Player of the Year when he blasted 47 Home Runs, batted .308, and led the AL in RBIs with 134.  He was also an All-Star for the first time that year.  It was the first time that any Blue Jay was considered the best Baseball player, and it was huge for a young team outside of the United States.  Bell might not have repeated those metrics, but his offense was still solid over the next two years, with a fourth-place finish in MVP voting in 1989.

Bell went to his second All-Star in 1990, but his inconsistency and temperament began to distance him from the fans, and he left for the Cubs at the season's end.

As a Blue Jay, Bell smacked 202 Home Runs and had 740 RBIs with a .286 Batting Average, and was later inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  Bell is also a member of the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

Taken in the Ninth Round of Toronto's first ever Amateur Draft in 1977, Jesse Barfield would first make the Blue Jays in 1981 and was a fixture on the roster the year after, but it was not until the 1985 season that Barfield was a bonafide everyday starter in Rightfield.

Barfield was an excellent fielder and a good power-hitter, and in his previously mentioned '85 Season, he finished seventh in MVP voting, with a 27 Home Run year with 189 Hits.  The year after, Barfield went to his only All-Star Game, becoming the first Blue Jay to lead the AL in Home Runs with 40 while finishing fifth in MVP voting.  Barfield also won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.

Barfield had another good power year in 1987 with 28 Home Runs, and he repeated as a Gold Glove recipient.  Barfield had the resume to have won more than two Gold Gloves, as he was a five-time (four with Toronto) league leader in Outfield Assists and was twice the American Outfield leader in Total Zone Runs with two other second-place finishes.  

He was traded to the Yankees early in the 1989 Season, and as a Blue Jay, Barfield had 179 Home Runs, 919 Hits, and a Defensive bWAR of 9.5.

With all due respect to Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, two incredible players, the acquisition that sent them for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter was the transaction that made Toronto.

Carter was the one who hit the most famous Home Run in Blue Jays history, but Alomar was the true gem of the deal.  In the five seasons that Alomar was with Toronto, there was no doubt that he was the top Second Baseball in the American League, both with his bat and glove.  Alomar went to the All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove in all of his Jays campaigns, and was the engine that led Toronto to back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.

Alomar was an excellent hitter when he played for Toronto.  He batted over .300 in four of his five years, with the other year seeing the Second Baseman bat .295.  He had a patient eye, walked often, and when he was on base, he was always a threat to steal, swiping over 50 bases twice and 206 in total in Toronto.  

As good as Alomar was, he grew impatient with the Blue Jays management when they went into rebuilding mode, and he signed with Baltimore after the 1995 Season as a Free Agent.  He batted.  307 with 832 Hits for Toronto, and would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall.  The team also retired his #12, and inducted him into their Level of Excellence, though neither are no longer displayed following sexual misconduct allegations when he worked for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Vernon Wells was the fifth pick taken in the 1997 Amateur Draft, and the Blue Jays slowly moved up the native of Shreveport to where he was a bona fide starting Outfielder in 2002.

Wells had a breakout year in 2003, where not only did he go to the All-Star Game, he led the AL in Hits (215) and Doubles (49) while posting career-highs in Home Runs (33), RBIs (117) and the Slash Line (.317/.359/.550).  He would also go to his first All-Star Game, and Wells earned a Silver Slugger with an eighth-place finish in MVP voting.

Wells continued over the next few seasons to be one of the top Outfielders in the American League, winning three straight Gold Gloves (2004-06) and continuing to blast Home Runs.  He was an All-Star again in 2006 and 2019 and would belt 223 taters as a Blue Jay.

Wells was traded to the Angels before the 2011 Season but never came close to what he did as a Jay ever again.

Pat Hentgen first made the Majors with Toronto in 1991, appearing in three Games, and in Toronto's first World Series winning season in 1992, he was in 28 Games but was not on the playoff roster.  That would all change in 1993.

Hentgen made the starting rotation out of training camp and was named to the All-Star team.  Going 19-9 in the regular season, Hentgen helped the Jays win their second straight World Series, with the righthander gaining a Win.  The Jays imploded after, with many stars leaving, but the young Pitcher remained, a highlight on a rebuilding mid-90s team.

An All-Star again in 1994, Hentgen had his best season in Baseball in 1996.  He would lead the American League in Innings Pitched (265.2), had a 20-10 record with 177 Strikeouts, and won both the Cy Young and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.  He was an All-Star in 1997, but he wasn't the same in the two years after and was traded to St. Louis after the 1999 Season.

As a Blue Jay, Hentgen posted a record of 107-85 and fanned 1,028 batters.  He was also in to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Key began his career with Toronto in 1984, where he was used as a Relief Pitcher, recording ten Saves, but the Jays management viewed him as a starter, which is the capacity he served for the rest of his 14 Seasons in Baseball.

The Southpaw was an All-Star in his first year as a Starting Pitcher, winning 14 Games against 6 Losses and helping the Blue Jays make their first postseason.  Key would methodically work his way to the top of the Toronto rotation, winning the ERA Title (2.76) and WHIP Title (1.057) in 1987 while finishing second in Cy Young voting and winning The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.

Toronto continued to improve, adding starters around Key, and building up a true contender.  Key was an All-Star again in 1991, and in 1992, he was part of a rotation that led the Jays to their first World Series Title.  He left Toronto for the Yankees, where he had two more All-Star, and top-five Cy Young finishes.

With the Blue Jays, Key went 116-81 with 944 Strikeouts and an ERA of 3.42.

Tony Fernandez was scouted and signed by the Toronto Blue Jays and made his Major League debut in 1983.  As the Jays improved in the mid-80s, the Dominican Shortstop was one of their stalwarts.  From 1985 to 1988, he would receive MVP votes, showing off firm contact, hitting, and defense.  In all of those four seasons, Fernandez was named a Gold Glove winner, and he would at least bat .280 with 160 Hits.

An All-Star for the Blue Jays three times, he was dealt to the San Diego Padres in a major trade after the 1990 season, and Fernandez was an All-Star for the fourth time in 1992.  The Shortstop again was a Blue Jay in 1993, where he was a member of their first World Series Title.

Following that ring collection, he was a Cincinnati Red, New York Yankee, and Cleveland Indian before going back north as a Blue Jay and going to his fifth and last All-Star Game.  Fernandez went to Milwaukee and returned to Toronto before retiring in 2001.

The Infielder compiled 1,583 Hits, 172 Stolen Bases, and a .297 Batting Average as a Blue Jay and would later be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  Fernandez is also a member of the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

Jose Bautista's success in emerging as one of the game's top power hitters might be one of the biggest “Where the hell did this come from?” stories in Baseball.

Bautista was barely even a journeyman, playing briefly for Baltimore, Tampa Bay. and Kansas City before having a respectable season in 2007 as a Pittsburgh Pirate. The Blue Jays traded for him during the 2008 Season, and Bautista began 2009 as the fourth Outfielder. He worked all year with Toronto's hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy, who helped him work on his stance and leg kick. It yielded a coming out part in 2010 that blew everyone away.

After a previous high of 15 Home Runs, Bautista won the Home Run Title with 54. He also had 124 RBI, which would become his personal best. Bautista won the Silver Slugger that year and was fourth in MVP voting. Some in the baseball media thought he had to be a one-year wonder. He wasn't. Bautista won his second straight Home Run Title (43), and he led the AL in Walks (132), Slugging (.608), and OPS (1.056). He added a second Silver Slugger, and this year was third in MVP voting.

Bautista missed quite a few games due to injury in 2012 and 2013, though he still had at least 27 Home Runs in both seasons. Fully healthy in 2014, Bautista won his third Silver Slugger on a 35 HR/103 RBI campaign, blasted 40 taters in 2015, and helped lead the Blue Jays to the playoffs. In the deciding game in the ALDS against Texas, Bautista hit the game-winning Home Run and delivered after the most famous bat flip in Canada. Toronto did not win the Pennant that year, but Bautista's moment will be forever etched in Blue Jays fans.

Age caught up to Bautista after, and so did a bit of karma, in terms of a punch to the face by Texas's Rougned Odor. He was not resigned after 2017, leaving the Jays with 1,103 Hits and 288 Home Runs.  Bautista was inducted into the Jays Level of Excellence in 2023.

We considered making this a 1 and 1A situation with Roy Halladay and Dave Stieb, but that just isn't our style, so Halladay missed out as the greatest Blue Jay, despite the Cooperstown plaque and the Cy Young.

A First Round Pick in 1995, Halladay first made the Blue Jays in 1998, but as hard as he threw, his effectiveness wasn't there, and he was bouncing back and forth between the Majors and Minors until 2002.  Once Halladay figured it all out, he became one of the best hurlers in Baseball.

"Doc" led the American League in Innings Pitched in '02, going 19-7 and making his first trip to the All-Star Game.  Halladay was even better in 2003, leading the AL in Wins (22) against only 7 Losses while also topping the league in Innings (266), SO/BB (6.38).  He won the Cy Young, making him the first Blue Jay to win that award.  

Halladay had shoulder issues through much of the next two seasons, reducing his mound time, but he was healthy in 2006, reclaiming his spot as an American League elite.  From 2006 to 2009, Halladay went 69-33, went to three All-Star Games, won a WHIP Title (2008), and was in the top five in Cy Young voting in all of those seasons, with one of those years (2008) as the runner-up.  Halladay was phenomenal, but the team around him wasn't, and he never tasted the postseason in Toronto.  He asked to be traded, and he was, with a post-2009 deal sending Halladay to Philadelphia, where he won his second Cy Young.

Halladay died tragically when the plane he piloted crashed in 2017.  The Blue Jays retired his number 34 the year after, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot.  Halladay went 148-76 with 1,495 Strikeouts with Toronto and was also named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and is part of the Jays Level of Excellence.

Dave Stieb barely beat out Roy Halladay for the top spot on this list, and it does fit to have Stieb at number one, as he was arguably the first real star of the franchise.

Stieb made his first appearance for the Jays in 1979 and was their ace a year later, going to his first of seven All-Star Games.  In the first half of the 80s, Toronto was dealing with the typical issues of an expansion team, and it likely cost Stieb a 20-win season, as it is conceivable that on a better team, his back-to-back 17 Win years (1982 & 1983) could have hit 20.  

While Stieb was generating press in Canada, many American fans were unaware of his skills.  A power pitcher, Stieb was also known for his volatility and intense competitiveness, which did not always make him a clubhouse favorite, but a man that his teammates wanted on their side.  Stieb never won a Cy Young, but in 1982, The Sporting News named him the American League Pitcher of the Year.

Stieb would later win the ERA Title in 1985 and anchor the team to their first postseason.  He remained one of the top hurlers in the AL for the rest of the decade, and when the 80s ended, only Jack Morris had more Wins.   

Stieb received a ring, and though that year's contributions were minimal, Toronto was built on his arm.  Back issues held Stieb to minimal starts in the early 90s, and Toronto had to create a contender without him, which they did, winning the World Series in 1992.  Stieb signed with the White Sox after the season, though he retired a year after.  He attempted a comeback in 1998 with Toronto but retired shortly after.

Stieb is, as of this writing, the all-time franchise leader in bWAR for Pitchers (56.9), Wins (175), and Strikeouts (1,656).  He is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and is enshrined in the Jays Level of Excellence.

An Amateur Free Agent signee in 1988, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Delgado first made the Blue Jays roster in 1993, but it was not until 1996 that he was an everyday player at First.

Delgado began a ten-year streak of at least 30 Home Runs in 1997 (though the last two were with other teams), and three of those seasons saw the slugger exceed 100.  A bona fide run generator, Delgado drove in at least 100 runners six times with Toronto, including a league-leading 145 in 2003.  That was his best season in the Majors, where he was second in MVP voting, won The Sporting News Player of the Year Award, and won his third and final Silver Slugger.  

As good as Delgado was, he was unable to play in any playoff games with the Jays, who went into sharp decline after their second World Series win in 1993.  He was easily the Jays best batter from 1996 to 2004, after which he left for the Marlins as a Free Agent.

As of this writing, Delgado is the all-time franchise leader in Offensive bWAR (39.4), Plate Appearances (6,018), Runs Scored (889), Home Runs (336), and RBIs (1,058), and is a member of the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.  He was also named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Texas Rangers drafted Edwin Encarnacion in 2000, but a year later he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he would eventually make his Major League debut for in 2005.  With the Reds, the Dominican showed promise, but his hitting never reached its potential, and he was not good in the field.  A mid-season trade in 2009 to Toronto changed everything for Encarnacion, though that was not instant.

Toronto was not high on Encarnacion and was forced to take him in the trade.  A Free Agent in 2011, Encarnacion did not receive any offers, and Toronto took another chance on him, signing him, but now using Encarnacion mainly as a Designated Hitter.  The focus on hitting benefited Encarnacion, who would break out in 2012 with a 42-Home Run/110 RBI year.  Encarnacion had another good year in 2013 (36 HR and 104 RBI), proving he was no fluke.

Encarnacion went to his second All-Star Game in 2014, but the year after, where he was not an All-Star selection, he was part of the meat of a contending Blue Jays team.  The DH blasted 39 Home Runs and 111 RBIs and had his fourth straight .900 OPS year.  He stayed with Toronto one more year, where he went to his third All-Star, matched his highest Home Run total (42), and won his first RBI Title with 127.  

Encarnacion signed with Cleveland in 2017 and gave them three 30 HR/100 years, though the last one saw him traded during the year to Seattle.  He wound down his career with the Mariners and White Sox for one year in 2020.

Encarnacion has 424 Home Runs and 1,261 RBIs, which for a power hitter is very good and better than many slugging Hall of Famers, but he was not a multi-faceted player, and this will keep him out of Cooperstown.

The Toronto Blue Jays are bidding for their first World Series title since 1993. There is confidence within the Canadian city that their long wait for the major prize could end this year.

The Blue Jays, the only team from Canada playing in the Major League Baseball (MLB), have been performing impressively in the American League (AL). They have a winning record of 45-42 (.517), which gives them a strong chance of reaching the playoffs.

Toronto supporters will be hoping their team can go further than they did in 2020. Their World Series dream fell at the first hurdle in the postseason as they were beaten by the number one seeds in the AL, Tampa Bay. The team from Florida went all the way to the World Series where they lost to the LA Dodgers.

The regular season is now well underway and the Blue Jays have MLB odds on bet365 of +2200. Those odds indicate Toronto are not one of the frontrunners for the title. The Dodgers are the favorites in the betting to defend their crown, however, as recent results show, it is no easy feat.

Toronto may enjoy being the underdogs this year. There will be less pressure on their shoulders if they do reach the playoffs. When successful in 1992 and 1993, they were the fourth seeds in the AL, so maybe avoiding one of the top seeds could prove advantageous.

Stats Suggest Toronto Are Better Than Record Indicates

Home runs have not been a problem for the Blue Jays so far in 2021. As of the halfway stage in the regular season, no team in the AL has scored more. If that continues, they are going to prove a dangerous match for any team in the MLB.

Another strong guide for assessing a team's performance on the field is the difference between home runs scored and conceded. Toronto has a +79 record. This would indicate they are a little unfortunate to have a .517 record. If they continue to score so strongly, that percentage should improve.

Their first aim will be to try to win the AL East division. They currently trail Boston Red Sox (604) and Tampa Bay (.589). The series against those two rivals will prove crucial in determining who lands the title.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr Is the Man Who Can Fire Toronto To Success

The standout performer for Toronto in 2021 has been Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He has had an outstanding season with the bat. He was named in the AL’s All-Star team where he was the starting first baseman.

Guerrero Jr, a son of the MLB’s Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr, leads the league in On-Base Plug Slugging (OBS). He is one of only three players who are over 1.0 in 2021 along with Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr.

The 22-year-old has an exciting future in the league. Blue Jays fans will be hoping he helps deliver a lot of success with the Canadian franchise, including at the end of the current campaign.

This year’s World Series begins on October 26 and if a seventh game of the series is needed, that will take place on November 3. 

Born in Jamaica and raised in the United States, Devon White had a great career where the Outfielder used his speed and defensive skills to perform at a high-end level for over a decade.

Does the city of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic have a formula to create infielders for Major League Baseball?

Jimmy Key played his entire career in the American League East, dividing between three teams, Toronto, New York, and Baltimore, finding success with all three clubs.

One of the more interesting characters of the game, David "Boomer" Wells, played 21 seasons in the Majors for nine different teams, three of which he had two stints.  Wells longevity allowed him to amass a record of 239-157 with 2,201 Strikeouts, but don't view him as a "compiler."