MLB All Star Game: 5 Best Blue Jays Ever!

Apr 19, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) bobblehead doll stands on the field before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. The first 20,000 fans receive it with their paid admission to the game. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Bautista- 6 Time All Star! 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

This year marks the 6th time Jose Bautista will represent the Blue Jays at the All Star game. In fact, it is his 6th time in a row. He’s gone to the Mid-Summer Classic each year since 2010. Most times he’s had company like in 2011 when he was joined by…Ricky Romero. In 2012, he was the Blue Jays’ lone representative. Actually, most of his appearances are with guys who were having surprise seasons like in 2013 when Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar joined him or in 2010 when John Buck made the trip. 

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I only mention this because Bautista’ own rise to All Star-dom came in 2010 when he burst onto the scene in what would become the beginning of his dominant power display that has lasted for years. He came out of nowhere to surprise everyone in baseball. But, he hasn’t looked back since.

It may have been such a surprise in 2010 that it took another year before they allowed Joey Bats to participate in the Home Run Derby. His first shot was in 2011 where he hit 4 and was eliminated in the first round. The next year, taking the lessons he’d learned from the first, he went all the way to the finals thanks to a “swing off” against Mark Trumbo. He’d go on to lose to Prince Fielder.

Here’s his 2012 performance.

After sitting out in 2013, Bautista would enter the 2014 Derby with determination. He hit the most first round bombs, 10. He would then lose to the eventual HR Derby winner, Yoenis Cespedes. While the All Star game itself is meant to be the focal point of the weekend, nothing puts a player (or his team) on the map like the HR Derby. Remember Josh Hamilton in 2008?

While Bautista has been drawing attention to the Blue Jays through the All Star Game, he’s also been a tremendous part of the success that they’ve been trying to capitalize on for the last few years. He’s been the center piece in this movement toward the club’s first post season visit since 1993. In his short time with the Blue Jays, Bautista has risen to 5th all time with 34 WAR.

Since 2010, Bautista finished 4th (2010), 3rd (2011) and 6th (2014) in MVP voting. He’s tallied 204 HR, including 54 in 2010 and 527 RBI which include his 134 mark in 2011. All of this production is also coming with the patience of a saint. His walk total of 529 nearly match his RBI totals bang on.

His leadership and performance often go unrecognized south of the border. Hopefully, the All Star Game nods mean that this will change. But the time all is said and done, Jose Bautista might be (if he isn’t already) one of the best Toronto Blue Jays of all time. Not bad for a “late bloomer”.

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Roy Halladay- 8 Time All Star! 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Now, we have to acknowledge that if we were sticking to the rules of being a Blue Jay for this list, then Roy Halladay would only have 6 appearances. His last two appearances were as a member of the Phillies. So, technically, he and Jose Bautista would be tied for most All Star Game appearances by a Blue Jays player. But, come on. This is “Doc” we’re talking about.

Toronto Blue Jays

Roy Halladay is considered by many to be the greatest Blue Jay of all time. He is that rare talent that a team drafts (17th overall in 1995) and develops into a dominant force. Yes, he struggled when he began his career, but that is all in the shadows of the brightness of ten years of dominance. He finished his 15 year career with a 203-105 record. He won 2 Cy Young Awards (2003 & 2010 with the Phillies) and finished top 5 in voting 5 other times. Whether this is enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, where the benchmark is traditionally 300 wins is a topic for another day.

In his time with the Blue Jays, Halladay put up 48 WAR, which is good for second. He kept working his tail off for this club. He led the league in complete games 5 times as a member of the Blue Jays. But they could just not provide him with a winning club.

Doc was named the starter for the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis and the 2011 game in Philadelphia. Only one other Blue Jays pitcher has started 2 All Star Games. We’ll get to him in a bit. In fact, since this certain mustached hurler, only Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Curt Schilling have started 2 or more.

His ’09 start didn’t go so well as he yielded 3 runs in his two innings of work. But, in 2011, he was (what else?) perfect in his two innings.

Roy Halladay signed a token contract with the Toronto Blue Jays shortly before his retirement. IF he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, could he be just the second to go in wearing a Blue Jays’ hat?

Next: Touch 'em All, Joe...All 5 Of Them

Joe Carter- Five Time All Star! 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996

Joe Carter is remembered for hitting the most famous home run in Blue Jays history. In 1993, he hit the walk off home run against Mitch Williams and the Phillies to deliver the first World Series win on Canadian turf. It was also the 2nd championship in a row for the Blue Jays. It was also their last. But, on to more positive discussion.

Joe Carter does not appear in the Blue Jays’ top 20 players ranked by WAR. His career mark of 19.3 puts him below Alex Rios. Ugh. Regardless, the best years of Carter’s career came in a Blue Jays uniform. He won the Silver Slugger award in 1991 & 1992. He’d finish in the top 20 in MVP voting 8 times and as high as 3rd in 1993. 

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Carter has a streak of 11 straight seasons with 20 or more home runs. He would finish his Blue Jays career with 203 dingers. His career total sits at 396. He also collected 736 RBI as a Blue Jay. This is worth mentioning because Carter’s HR total is quite similar to that of Jose Bautista. Yet, his RBI total is approximately 200 higher. When all is said and done, though, Bautista may just end up passing Carter in this regard.

The fact that Joe Carter is even on this list of Blue Jays players with so many All Star Game appearances may come as a surprise to some. The nods in 1994 and in 1996 might have to do with the popularity that follows hitting such a dramatic home run. After all, some question whether Joe Carter was as good as they mystique and nostalgia would suggest. He’s a lifetime .259 hitter with an OBP of just .306. The most walks Carter took in a season was in 1991 and it was a laughable 49. Already, in 2015, Jose Bautista has a league leading 65.

Regardless, Carter can lay claim to one of the greatest World Series home runs ever. And, he is a 5 time All Star.

Next: Catch the Taste! Alomar's 5 of 12!

Roberto Alomar- 12 Time All Star! 5 With Blue Jays- 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

Roberto Alomar was a 12 time All Star. He was on the roster for every game from 1990- 2001. He played his first game as a San Diego Padre, 5 with the Blue Jays, 3 with the Cleveland Indians and 3 with the Baltimore Orioles. Alomar also won 9 Gold Glove Awards (5 with Blue Jays) and finished in the top 22 of MVP voting 7 times as high as 3rd. There is no questioning why Alomar is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the first to go in as a Blue Jays player.

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Alomar ranks 13th on the Blue Jays’ all time WAR list with 22. He only played 5 years in the city, which makes his average WAR 4.4!  Not to shabby, eh? While Joe Carter is known for his dramatic home run in the 1993 World Series, many think that it is Alomar’s home run in the 1992 series against the Oakland Athletics that is the most important in club history. Without that blast, the Blue Jays may not have gone on to win it all that year, or the next.

It is easy to turn to nostalgia given the Blue Jays long playoff drought. And, this post lends itself to such activity. Looking back at Alomar’s time as a Toronto Blue Jay, we see a player who was at the top of not only his game, but THE game. He hit .326 in 1993. He’s a career .300 hitter with an OBP of .371. It’s easy to see why he would be selected to so many Mid-Summer Classics.

Here’s a glimpse into his performance on the July stage. In 1998, he collected 3 hits in 4 at bats, including a home run.

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PATTI GOWER / TORONTO STAR

Dave Stieb- 7 Time All Star! 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990

Dave Stieb just might be the best Blue Jay of all time. And, if you think that Jose Bautista doesn’t get enough love south of the border, Stieb may be able to claim even less. He might be one of the best players to NOT get into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He finished as high as 4th in Cy Young voting where he threw 19 complete games for 288 innings and 1187 batters faced, which all led the league. He finished his career with a record of 176-137 and an ERA of 3.44. 140 wins came in the 1980’s, which gave him the second most.

He threw the Toronto Blue Jays first (and only) no hitter in 1990 against the Indians. But, previously to that, in 1985, he had a no-no into the ninth. He had two starts in a row where he took no hitters to the ninth with two outs in September, 1988. And, in 1989, he had a perfecto going into the ninth, but with two outs, his bid ended. The argument can be made that Stieb was in fact the most valuable Blue Jays pitcher of all time. His career WAR of 57 would suggest he is.

Stieb was named the starting pitcher for the 1983 and 1984 All Star Game! He joins that esteemed list from earlier of guys who’ve started 2 or more All Star games.

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Image Credit: Scott Halleran/Canadian Press

Honorable Mentions

Carlos Delgado– Two Time All Star! 2000, 2003

By the time Carlos Delgado had established himself at the major league level, the memory of the back to back World Series wins had given way to a Yankees dynasty. As such, Delgado mashing the ball didn’t exactly catch the attention of the larger baseball world. They missed out on the fact that he had 9 straight seasons of 25 or more HR and 90 or more RBI. Thrice did Delgado exceed 130 RBI with an eye popping 145 in 2003. He’s a lifetime .283 hitter who did not get enough votes to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot. But, he will stand out as one of the better Blue Jays All Stars. Delgado is 4th all time with 36 WAR.

Toronto Blue Jays

Tony Fernandez– Four Time All Star, 3 with Blue Jays! 1986, 1987, 1989

After being dealt to the Padres in the Alomar deal, Fernandez would appear in his 4th All Star game. As a Blue Jay, he won 4 straight Gold Glove awards and even received some love in the MVP voting. He never finished higher than 8th (1987). He was a slick fielding short stop who made 3 different stops in Toronto over his career. He ranks third on the Blue Jays all time WAR list at 37.

Vernon Wells– Three Time All Star! 2003, 2006, 2010

Many still hold a bit of resentment toward Vernon Wells based on a 7yr/$126M contract, one which no one could ever really live up to. But, for the money he was being paid, he should have been in many more All Star games. Instead, the former Face of the Franchise represented the Blue Jays just 3 times. Wells is a career .270 hitter with an OBP of just .319. He led the 215 hits including 59 doubles, which was also good for top spot. He won 3 Gold Gloves patrolling the outfield in Toronto. league in 2003 with He sits 8th all time in WAR with 28.

There you have it. The best Blue Jays All Stars of all time! I would be really interested in hearing your thoughts on this list. Who’s your favorite? Who doesn’t belong on this list? Leave your thoughts below.

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