Toronto Blue Jays Poll: Greatest Players of All Time Rd2

Delgado on Level of Excellence Credit: S Doyle/Jays Journal

Matchup 7: Carlos Delgado vs Shannon Stewart

What kind of person are you? Do you dig the long ball? Or, are you a fan of hustle? This matchup will ask you to choose between these two.

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Delgado leads the Blue Jays in nearly every offensive category. He’s first in HR (336), RBI (1058), 2B (343), runs (889), SLG (.556) and OPS (.949). In his 12 seasons with the Blue Jays, he put up a WAR of 34.9! His best season came in 2000 when he put up 7.4 WAR. He hit 30+ HR 8 times and drove in 100 5 times in Toronto. He’s a 2 time All Star who finished in the top 10 in MVP voting 4 times (twice as a Blue Jay). In a poll such as this, it is tough to argue against his spot in Blue Jays history.

But, Stewart will try. He finished with 67% of the vote in Rd 1. He just might represent the last true, regular lead off hitter the Blue Jays have had. Unless you count Jose Reyes. That’s up to you. Stewart’s speed stood out on a team that seemed to lack it. He ranks 5th all time with 166 stolen bases. In his 8 seasons, he managed to land himself in 7th place all time with a .365 OBP. In fact, when he got regular playing time, he never saw his OBP lower than .363. He gave the Blue Jays 16.2 WAR in total. Is that enough to win against Delgado? You decide.

The final matchup will prove to be a much more difficult choice than this one.

Next: Matchup 9: The Toughest Choice of All