The rise and fall of 10 former Blue Jays

May 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (34) pitches against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

9. A. J. Burnett – Pittsburgh Pirates

Admittedly, it’s been awhile since Burnett was a Blue Jay, but it’s his final season in the majors and I can’t remember the last guy to win 18 games for the Jays, so he makes the list.

Coming off a season where he lost 18 games for Philadelphia, Burnett has been great for the Pirates, rolling out a line of 5-1, 1.81 ERA, 59 SO. Even now, the fire-thrower is maintaining a rate of nearly a strikeout per inning.

Burnett’s 2.3 WAR puts him on pace for the best in that category since 2009 and currently ranks fifth in the NL. He also is on the leaderboard in several other pitching categories.

Also, upon further research, I discovered Roy Halladay won 20 games the same year Burnett won 18.