Blue Jays: The All-Time Forgotten Players in Franchise History

In the midst of this dead baseball time, I will try and give you a look back at some Blue Jays players you may have forgotten who not only played in Toronto, but did quite well.  This article is your All-Time forgotten Blue Jays, so players that had a quick stint with the team and played really well.

The stipulation was that the player could not play more than three full seasons with the team.  I also did not include Roger Clemens or Dave Winfield as they were two unforgettable on the team in their very short stints.

Catcher – Bengie Molina (2006)
Best Season: 2006 – 20 doubles, 19 home runs, 57 RBI, .281 AVG and .319 OBA

After the 2005 season where the Blue Jays finished two games below .500 they were looking to upgrade on the catching position.  They had had one good catcher in Gregg Zaun, however they cycled through four other catchers during the season.  Toronto signed Bengie Molina to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million and he had a very productive hitting season.

At the plate he had 40 extra base hits, which included one of the most entertaining triples you could see, and I wish I could find it somewhere.  Behind the plate he had his worst season for throwing out runners, as it was the only time he dipped under 23% for catching would-be base stealers, and he threw out just 18%.

After an overall successful season, Molina would leave for San Francisco that offseason when he signed a three year contract worth just over $16 million.

First Base – Matt Stairs (2007-2008)
Best Season: 2007 – 28 doubles, 21 home runs, 64 RBI, .289 AVG and .368 OBA

Two things I need to clear up, one is a lot of people do remember Matt Stairs as he was a Canadian player, playing for Toronto.  The second was Stairs played pretty evenly between first base and left field, with a bit of time in right field.

Now that we have cleared that up, Stairs got a lot of hype as a Canuck playing for baseball’s only Canadian franchise.  He also seemed like a cheerful, hard-working happy guy to be around.  Toronto got a steal of a deal in off-season leading into the 2007 season when they got him on a one-year deal at $850,000.   Stairs finished just five home runs off of the team lead, despite having more than 200 at-bats less than the leader Frank Thomas.

Stairs would sign on for one more year in 2008; however with the team 14.5 games back of the AL East title on August 30 he would be traded to Philadelphia for a player to be named later (Fabio Casto).

Some Recent Names

Shortstop – Aledmys Diaz (2018)
Best Season: 2018 – 26 doubles, 18 home runs, 55 RBI, .263 AVG and .303 OBA

I’ll concede most fans have likely not forgotten Aledmys Diaz yet as he played on the team just two years ago.  Prior to the 2018, Toronto traded mid-level prospect J.B. Woodman for Diaz as the team need a stopgap before the youth were coming all the way up through the system.

Diaz played just the one season, however, he was very productive.  Diaz made just seven errors in 95 games at shortstop, while putting up good offensive numbers.  He led the team in batting average and was in the middle of the squad in most other offensive categories.  After just the one season in Toronto, Diaz was traded before last year for Trent Thornton.

Left Field – Melky Cabrera (2013-2014)
Best Season: 2014 – 35 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 RBI, .301 AVG and .351 OBA

The Blue Jays made a bit of risky move signing free agent Melky Cabrera to a two year contract worth $16 million prior to the 2013 season.  Cabrera was coming off a 50 game suspension for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs in August of 2012.  Prior to failing the test Cabrera was in contention for the NL Batting Title as he finished the year with a .346 average.  The perception of bringing in a player who was suspended for PED was something that some folks were skeptical of at the time.

Cabrera shined in his second and final season with Toronto as he led the team in both doubles (35) and batting average (.301) of players that qualified.  He played decently enough in the outfield for what you got on offence.

There was excitement prior to his departure that he may return, as he expressed his interest in staying in Toronto. However, he left for the White Sox on a three year $45 million contract.  Cabrera departed just before the Blue Jays made their return to the post season.

Who else is in the outfield?

Centerfield – Otix Nixon (1996-1997)
Best Season: 1996 – 15 doubles, 54 stolen bases, .286 AVG and .377 OBA

This is going to surprise a lot of younger Blue Jays fans, but Otis Nixon was once a Blue Jay.  Many fans remember him most as the player who tried to get a bunt single with two out trailing in extra innings in the 1992 World Series. Mike Timlin ultimately picked up the ball and threw it to Joe Carter for the final out to win the first World Series title for Canada and the Blue Jays.

Three years later Nixon would sign a two year deal with the Blue Jays worth $4.5 million and Toronto had a leadoff man.  Nixon would never be mistaken for a home run hitter as he hit just 11 over his whole career. What he was known for, was a player that got on base and liked to run.  In his first season in a Blue Jays uniform, Nixon got on base nearly 38% of the time and stole 54 bases; which is currently tied for third all-time by a Blue Jay in a single season.

Nixon was having a similar 1997 season, however, on August 12 with Toronto four games under .500 and 17.5 games back of the AL East, he was pulled from the game to find out he had been traded.  General Manager Gord Ash had traded Nixon to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguer Bobby Cripps.  Nixon played just 228 games, which was just over a season and a half, yet sits ninth all time in Stolen Bases for Toronto.

Right Field – Raul Mondesi (2000-2002)
Best Season: 2001 – 26 doubles, 27 home runs, 84 RBI, 30 stolen bases and .252 AVG

If you are a Blue Jays fan you know about right field legend Shawn Green and how amazing he was in Toronto.  What some fans might not remember was the century was turning over and Green had just one year left of control.  It was unclear if the team could sign him long-term, so they made a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers which was essentially had Green going for former NL Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi.

While Mondesi couldn’t completely replace Green, he was a very good substitute.  In his first two years with Toronto he was a 20-20 player as he hit at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.  In 2001, Mondesi was just three home runs shy of having a 30-30 season.  Mondesi was built and played like a running back and had no fear.  In the outfield, Mondesi had an absolute of cannon of an arm as he picked up 18 assists.

In July 2002 the Blue Jays were again under .500 so GM J.P. Ricciardi traded Mondesi to the New York Yankees for Scott Wiggins.

Rounding Things Out

Designated Hitter – Jose Canseco (1998)
Best Season: (1998) – 46 home runs, 107 RBI, 29 RBI, .237 AVG and .318 OBA

Imagine a team that would start the season with two starting pitchers who each won the last two Cy Young Awards, adding one of them winning it again that season, and also having three hitters collect at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI.  That was the story of the 1998 Toronto Blue Jays who finished just two games out of the playoffs.

A story about that season can be for another time, so we’ll get back to this one.  One those power hitters was the poster boy for steroids Jose Canseco.  Canseco signed a one-year deal in Toronto for just over $2 million for the season and produced at a way higher rate than his contract.  Canseco led the team with 46 home runs that season, which currently is the third highest single season mark by a Blue Jay, and was also a career high for him.  He was also second on the team with 107 RBI and shockingly his 29 stolen bases finished third on the team.

Canseco would leave after the 1998 season in free agency to Tampa Bay during his tour around the league, as he finished his last eight seasons playing for seven teams.

Starting Pitcher – Frank Castillo (2000)
Best Season: (2000) – 10-5, 3.59 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 104K

Going into the 2000 season GM Gord Ash signed a pitcher with over 200 career games, but couldn’t crack a major league roster the season before.  Ash capitalized and signed Frank Castillo to a one-year deal at 375K, which turned out to be a steal of a deal for the Blue Jays and gave Castillo the opportunity he needed to get his career going again.

Castillo cracked the rotation out of Spring Training and while it originally looked like a mistake as after four starts he had a 1-3 record with a 9.00 ERA, he started to turn things around in May. From June 2 on he did not lose another game going 9-0 with a 2.84 ERA.  Even with his horrible start to the season, Castillo still finished second on the team in wins and first in ERA among starters.

Castillo would turn his 2000 season into a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Closing Pitcher – B.J. Ryan (2006-2009)
Best Season: (2006) – 2-2, 38 Saves, 86K, 1.37 ERA and 0.86 WHIP

If you remember B.J. Ryan it is typically for not the happy memories.  In 2005, the Blue Jays finished with Miguel Batista as their closing pitcher and while he had 31 saves, he also had a 4.10 ERA which wasn’t anything you’d feel confident in closing out games.  Toronto went out and signed All-Star closing pitcher B.J. Ryan to a five year $47 million dollar deal, which at the time was the largest contract signed by a reliever in Major League Baseball history.

As I stated at the beginning, If Ryan is remembered it was more due to his inability to stay healthy.  Ryan was around for the four years, but was only really able to play in two of them.  In his first season with the Blue Jays he was selected to the All-Star Game as he posted a 1.37 ERA to go with 38 saves.  He finished the season averaging almost four and a half strikeouts per walk, and a 10.7 K per nine innings.

Over his tenure with the Blue Jays, Ryan had Tommy John surgery and suffered a strain to his trapezius muscle, which eventually led to the Blue Jays releasing him midway through his fourth year.  Ryan would try to work his way back in the Cubs organization, but after a couple weeks he did not feel any healthier and he retired.

So which players do you agree with? Who should have been put on the list? Who did you forget were Blue Jays.