Toronto Blue Jays Poll: Greatest of All Time Rd3

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Matchup 3: George Bell vs Carlos Delgado

Bell made it Round 3 by beating out Kelly Gruber in the first round and Edwin Encarnacion in the second. He just beat out EE with 57% of the vote. Fans likely rewarded him for his contributions to winning during his time in Toronto and the memory thereof. Meanwhile, Delgado had an easy time beating John Olerud and Shannon Stewart in each of his rounds.

Toronto Blue Jays

And, here we are. Now, you’re being asked to choose between two all time great sluggers. Bell sits in 5th place on the team’s all time HR list with 202. Oddly, that is a spot that looks tenuous with EE just 5 behind him. Bell is also 3rd in RBI with 740, 5th in hits with 1294, 6th in slugging at .486 and 9th with an OPS of .811. He played 9 seasons in Toronto and put up a WAR of 21 (according to Baseball Reference) which puts him 16th all time.

But fans will remember his contributions in the mid to late 1980’s that led to winning baseball in Toronto. He was  major part of the franchise’s first division title in 1985. And, he was the also the organization’s first MVP winner taking the award in 1987. During his time in Toronto, he was a 2 time All Star, led the league in RBI in 1987 with 134, was a Silver Slugger 3 times and finished in the top 5 in MVP voting 3 times.

Delgado is a different story. Even though he was one of the best power hitters in the game when he played, he never found himself in the postseason. He didn’t benefit from a winning team like Bell did. Yet, he put together a tenure in Toronto that has him at the top of almost every offensive category:  1st in HR with 336, 1st in RBI with 1058, 1st in doubles with 343, 1st in BB with 827, 1st in SLG with .556, 1st in OPS at .949. He’s also 2nd in OBP with a .392 mark. He’s 4th all time with a 36 WAR. He’s a 2 time All Star (which is shocking), 3 time Silver Slugger winner and led the league in doubles in 2000 with 57 and in RBI in 2003 with 145.

So, do you reward winning or personal bests? That’s up to you.

Our next matchup asks you to choose the greatest starting pitcher in Blue Jays history!

Next: Matchup 4: Can You Choose the Blue Jays' Greatest Starter Ever?