Blue Jays Top 5 First Basemen of All Time

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4. Willie Upshaw

Willie Upshaw was drafted by the Yankees in 1975. Pat Gillick astutely acquired him for the Blue Jays via the 1977 Rule V draft.

The results did not come immediately and Upshaw struggled over his first three seasons with the Jays. The organization’s patience paid off, however, as Upshaw transformed into the team’s starting first baseman from 1982 to 1987.

Upshaw’s strongest career season season came with the Blue Jays in 1983 when he had a .887 OPS, hit 27 home runs and posted a 4.7 WAR. He was also the first Blue Jay to crack 104 RBI in a season.

Defensively, Upshaw improved as his career went on. His best dWAR of 0.6 came in his last year as a Jay in 1987.

He was purchased by the Indians from the Jays in 1988. He played his last MLB game that year. Upshaw went to Japan for the 1989 and 1990 seasons and retired thereafter. Upshaw has been a coach for the Giants and most recently he was the manager of the Bridgeport Bluefish.

Among Blue Jays’ first basemen all-time he ranks 4th in WAR, 2nd in PAs, 2nd in RBI and 1st in SB

Next: At No. 3, we've got a 'Rud 'Rud Boy...

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. John Olerud

The Blue Jays drafted John Olerud in 1989. Olerud didn’t spend any time in the minors and made his debut with 8 PAs as a 20 year old later that season. Olerud quickly became a regular with 421 PAs the next year. He was a mainstay at first for the Jays until 1996.

Olerud, like Overbay, was atypical for the position. He was a doubles and walks machine but averaged about 18 home runs a year. He was also notable for wearing a batting helmet while fielding because of a brain aneurysm.

Olerud’s best season as a Jay came in 1993. He led the league in OPS (1.072), average (.363), OBP (.473) and doubles (54). He walked nearly twice as much as he struck out. He famously challenged for a .400 average and was still above the mark on August 24. He posted a 7.7 WAR that year. It was perhaps the best offensive season by a Jays’ first baseman.

He wouldn’t come close to those gaudy numbers over the rest of his Jays’ career but still put up very solid numbers from 1994 to 1996.

As Gob Bluth would say, the Blue Jays made a huge mistake prior to the 1997 season. With the emergence of Carlos Delgado, there was only room for one of Joe Carter or Olerud as the other 1B/DH. Blue Jays’ management preferred the severely declining Carter to the “not aggressive enough” Olerud. Olerud was shipped off to the Mets for Robert Person. The Jays even paid the Mets $5 million to rid themselves of Olerud.

The trade was a disaster. Person put up a -1.8 WAR for the Jays, Carter had a terrible season and Olerud went on to post 37.5 WAR from 1997 to 2005 with the Mets, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox. He retired after the 2005 season. Some believe that Olerud belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Among Blue Jays’ first basemen all-time he ranks 2nd in WAR, 3rd in PAs, 3rd in RBI, 2nd in BB%, 3rd in wRC+, 2nd in Fielding Percentage and 1st on this list in defensive runs.

Next: At No.2 on the list, The Canine Criminal

Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

2. Fred McGriff

The Yankees drafted Fred McGriff in 1981. Before realizing his potential, they traded him to the Blue Jays in 1982 with Dave Collins and Mike Morgan in exchange for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray. Toronto got the upper hand of the deal both in the short and long term.  Dodd never played a game for the Yankees and Murray was ineffective whereas Collins paid immediate dividends. The Blue Jays could not have fully imagined that the much greater value from the trade was honing his game in A ball at the time. McGriff made his debut with a cup of coffee in 1986.

Fred played the next four years in Toronto and was their best player over that span. His finest season as a Jay was 1989 when he lead the league in home runs (36), OPS (.924) and posted a 6.6 WAR. McGriff averaged a .919 OPS over his Jays career. Defensively, McGriff was below average with a -2.4 dWAR as a Jay. His defence became more of a liability as his career went on but it was never so much a problem as to warrant spending significant time as a DH.

McGriff’s best years were played in Toronto but he continued to hit very well and played 14 more seasons elsewhere. Prior to the 1991 season, Pat Gillick made the gutsy call to deal his team’s best player. It wasn’t the most one sided trade in Jays history, but it was perhaps the most important. Off went McGriff and Tony Fernandez to San Diego and in came Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. McGriff played for the Padres, Braves, Rays, Cubs, Dodgers and the Rays again before retiring after the 2004 season. McGriff is currently a baseball operations assistant for the Braves. He received 12.9% on the most recent Hall of Fame ballot.

Among Blue Jays’ first basemen all-time he ranks 3rd in WAR, 2nd in home runs, 1st in BB%, 2nd in SLG%, 1st in wRC+ and 2nd in offensive runs

Next: At No. 1: He's on the Level of Excellence!

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

1. Carlos Delgado

The Blue Jays signed Carlos Delgado as an amateur free agent in 1988. He was originally a catcher and appeared as such in his debut with the Jays in 1993. Delgado didn’t fit at the position and after an experiment with him in left field, he settled in at first base.

Carlos played 12 years in Toronto, he is the franchise leader in many offensive categories and is honoured on the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence. His MLB career began inauspiciously as he bounced around from position to position and didn’t have much success at the plate in brief stints from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, things clicked and Delgado took off offensively. By 1997 Delgado had eased in full-time at first.

His best season as a Jay came in 2000 when he hit 41 home runs, led the league with 57 doubles, had a 1.134 OPS and posted a 7.3 WAR. In 2003, he led the league in RBI (145), OPS (1.019) and hit 4 home runs in one game. He hit 30+ home runs in eight straight seasons and topped 40 three times. He had a .949 OPS as a Jay and racked up 36.7 WAR.

Defensively Delgado was similar to McGriff: Below average but good enough to stay in the field and avoid much DHing

After the 2004 season, Delgado became a free agent and the Blue Jays couldn’t scrape together the money to re-sign him. He signed with the Marlins and then was traded to the Mets in 2006. With injuries piling up, he retired after the 2009 season. Delgado is currently involved with baseball development in Puerto Rico and maintains a close relationship with the Blue Jays. He appeared on the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot but didn’t receive enough votes to remain on.

Among Blue Jays’ first basemen all-time he ranks 1st in WAR, 1st in PAs, 1st in HRs, 1st in RBI, 1st in ISO, 2nd in wRC+ and 1st in offensive runs

Next: Cast your vote as we name the Greatest Blue Jay of all time!

Honourable Mentions:

John Mayberry, Shea Hillenbrand, Justin Smoak (The drop off after the top 5 gets steep quickly)