Takin up the challenge, a Blue Jays lineup for the ages.
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by user Tr0mbone
Someone posted a Jays lineup, but I think mine would win a few more games. The Jays have known most of their success in the past 25 years so there are some impressive personal performances to put on the list.
Starting Lineup 1. John Olerud 1993, 1B, 185 OPS+, LHB, .363/.473/.599, 24 HR, 107 RBI, 200H, 54 2B, 114/65 BB/K. Finished 1st in BA, OBP, OPS, 2B, Times on Base, IBB, Runs Created... His OBP from this monster season is enough to put him in our leadoff spot. With the power hitters we have in the rest of the lineup, Carlos Delgado unfortunately didn't make the team as our 1B.
2. Shawn Green 1999, RF, 143 OPS+, LHB, .309/.384/.588, 42 HR, 123 RBI, 190H, 45 2B, 33/117 BB/K. Finished 5th in HR, 1st in 2B and XBH. Gold Glove OF. Monster power contract year.
3. Jesse Barfield 1986, CF, 147 OPS+, RHB, .289/.368/.559, 40 HR, 108 RBI, 170H, 35 2B, 69/146 BB/K. This was Jesse's best year and he earned a Gold Golve on top of it. He had a cannon for an arm and excellent range.
4. George Bell 1987, LF, 146 OPS+, RHB, .308/.352/.605, 47 HR, 134 RBI, 188H, 32 2B, 39/75 BB/K. AL MVP, SS. Finished 2nd in HR, 1st in TB, RBI, XBH. He lead the Jays through one of the most thrilling division races in team history with the Jays falling just short. Level of Excellence count = 1.
5. Troy Glaus 2006, 3B, 119 OPS+, RHB, .252/.355/.513, 38 HR, 104 RBI, 136H, 27 2B, 86/134 BB/K. Troy was brought in to be the bopper in a heavy hitting Jays lineup. He had a solid season at the plate and provided great defense at 3B.
6. Jose Canseco 1998, DH, 113 OPS+, RHB, .237/.318/.518, 46 HR, 107 RBI, 138H, 26 2B, 28 SB, 65/159 BB/K. Jose had a minor comeback as a Jay having one of his best seasons in years. The Jays finished 26 games behind the Yankees and he was shadowed by the McGuire/Sosa HR race.
7. Darrin Fletcher 2000, C, 116 OPS+, LHB, .320/.355/.514, 20 HR, 80 RBI. With Gregg Zaun on the bench, this will be more of a platoon setup than a starter/backup.
8. Tony Fernandez 1986, SS, 106 OPS+, RHB, .310/.338/.428, 10 HR, 65 RBI, 213 H, 33 2B, 25 SB. 213 hits set a record for shortstops only to be beaten by Alex Rodreiguez in 1996.
9. Roberto Alomar 1993, 2B, 140 OPS+, RHB, .326/.408/.492, 17 HR, 93 RBI, 192H, 35 2B, 80/67 BB/K. Finished 3rd in BA. All-Star defense for one of the best Blue Jays teams to take the field. Probably the greatest #9 hitter ever (on this lineup that is) Bench
Middle Infielder: Frank Menechino, IF, 2004 119 OPS+, RHB, .301/.400/.504. 71G, Gritty defender and a bat that came out of nowhere for a team that finished 5th...
Utility Outfielder: Frank Catalanotto, OF, 2005 115 OPS+, LHB, .301/.367/.451, 8HR, 59 RBI. A solid .300 leftie hitter off the bench for a late game defensive sub or pinch hit.
Backup catcher: Gregg Zaun, C, 2006, 110 OPS+, SWITCH, .272/.363/.462, 12 HR, 40 RBI. Forced into a backup role after a breakout (at age 34) season in 2005.
Other pinch hitter: Juan Beniquez, DH/OF/PH, 1988, 112 OPS+, RHB, .293/.373/.379, 27 G, 1HR.
Defensive replacement: Alfredo Griffin, 2B/SS, 1992, RHB, .233/.273/.280, 63 G, solid defense and a great vetern pickup for the playoffs.
Hitting Totals: .298/.371/.517 134 OPS+ 1072 Runs Scored 314 HR(!)
Starting Rotation
1. Roger Clemens 1997 ERA+ 226 21-7 264.0 IP 292/68 K/BB 1.030 WHIP 9 CG 3 SHO. Clemens was considered by many to be in the twilight of his career when he signed with the Jays. 2 Cy Youngs and 2 triple crowns later and my hardest choice is which season to use.
2. Roy Halladay 2003 ERA+ 145 22-7 266.0 IP 204/32 K/BB 1.071 WHIP 9 CG 2 SHO. "Doc" Halladay is a true ace of any staff and this season he lead the AL in innings and tied for the lead in complete games.
3. Pat Hentgen 1996 ERA+ 165 20-10 265.7 IP 177/94 K/BB 1.250 WHIP 10 CG 3 SHO. Each Jays hometown hero managed at least one epic season and Hentgen is no different. He helped bring home the repeat in '93 and anchored the staff through the late '90s.
4. Jimmy Key 1987 ERA+ 164 17-8 261.0 IP 161/66 K/BB 1.057 WHIP 8 CG 1 SHO. Lead the team in innings pitched and wins. Jimmy anchored the staff with Dave Steib throughtout the late 80's and early 90's.
5. Dave Steib 1990 ERA+ 135 18-6 208.7 IP 125/64 K/BB 1.165 WHIP 2 CG 2 SHO, Sept 2 No-hitter vs Cleveland. He had 2 consecutive no-hitters broken up with 2 outs in the 9th inning in 1998 and his no-hitter in 1990 was (and is) the only in Jays history. I believe that they should retire '37' for Dave. He hold most of the pitching records for the team and was such a big part of what built Toronto into the winner it became after his departure.
Bullpen
CL: B.J. Ryan 2006 ERA+ 343 38 SV 72.3 IP 86/20 K/BB 0.857 WHIP. Only 42 Hits and 3 HR allowed. B.J. held opposing batters to a .169 BA and didn't allow an earned run until May 7th. His sneaky delivery, nasty slider, and formidable mound presence makes him an ideal stopper.
Middle Relievers:
1. Mark Eichorn 1986 ERA+ 246 14-6 157.0 IP 166/45 K/BB 10 SV. Mark was a submarine pitcher who burst onto into the league as the Jays primary reliever aside from Tom Henke. His sneaky delivery lead to 166 K in 157 innings in his rookie year along with setting records for Jays rookies in ERA, games, wins, saves, strikeouts, and hit batsmen.
2. Duane Ward 1992 ERA+ 210 7-4 101.3 IP 103/39 K/BB 12 SV. As the primary setup man to Tom Henke, Ward racked up 25 Holds and 12 saves throwing hard heat. He is one of the unsung heroes of the Jays bullpen and he truly gave his career to bring home two championships.
3. Paul Quantrill 1997 ERA+ 238 6-7 88.0 IP 56/17 K/BB. He is the only Canadian on the roster and he deserves to be here. He was the setup man for Kelvim Escobar and was quite successful racking up 15 holds.
4. David Wells 1989 ERA+ 157 7-4 86.3 IP 1.089 WHIP 78 K. Boomer was brought up in through the Jays orgainzation and posted his best ERA in 1989 at 2.40. He was the top middle reliever and lefty specialist and showed his telltale control with a 78/28 K/BB ratio in 86 innings.
5. Justin Speier 2005 ERA+ 173 3-2 66.7 IP 0.945 WHIP 56 K. Speier was the Jays setup man through a retooling phase and threw one of his best seasons walking only 15 batters in 66.7 innings.
Pitching Totals: Starters: 163 ERA+ Relievers: 221 ERA+ 588 Runs scored against.
125-37 (theoretical) W/L record The past 25 years have seen some of the greater individual performances that often went unnoticed south of the border. This team represents 3 Cy Young awards, an AL MVP, a pitching triple crown, 2 points of the batting crown (both are still franchise records), a record for hits by a shortstop, 38 complete games (11 shutouts), and for good luck, the only no-hitter thrown in Jays history. Even if this team isn't the 'best' of the past 25 years, it still makes me remember our golden years. I just hope in a couple years, I can replace some of these seasons to improve our team.
Cheers, eh!
