Blue Jays: Combining generations for an all-time pitching staff

The Best Of The Rest

5- Scott Downs
2008 Stats: 0-3, 1.78 ERA, 1.146 WHIP, 70.2 IP, 2.8 bWAR

Scott Downs was a dependable lefty out of the bullpen in Toronto for many years, but he was never better than his peak season in 2008. He finished the campaign with a 1.78 ERA while working primarily as a set-up man, but also picking up five saves on the season as well.

6- B.J. Ryan
2006 Stats: 2-2, 1.37 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 38 saves, 3.6bWAR

Since relievers are a volatile bunch anyway, I decided to give B.J. Ryan a break regarding how poorly his four-year contract went overall. I did say that I wouldn’t focus too much on a one-year peak as well, but I’ll break that rule for Ryan’s 2006 season, before he started dealing with injury issues.

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He ended up rebounding and having a solid 2008 campaign, but Ryan’s big contract ultimately didn’t work out so well in Toronto. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of this fantasy bullpen though, and at his peak, he’s more than worthy of a spot.

7- Paul Quantrill
1997 Stats: 6-7, 1.94 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 88 IP, 3.2 bWAR

I debated giving the last spot to many different relievers from over the years. I considered guys like Jason Frasor, Roberto Osuna, Billy Koch, Jerry Garvin, and it’s possible that Ken Giles could have made the list based on last season if he had been healthy all year.

I ended up settling on Quantrill, who had a very fine peak season in 1997 with a 1.94 ERA over 88 inning outs of the bullpen, and was a valuable reliever in Toronto for six seasons. Not that it matters, but he would also help give this fictional group a little more length, which makes the argument for his fit even stronger.

What do you think of the group I’ve put together? There are solid arguments to make a few swaps, especially in the bullpen, and I’d be more than happy to hear about how wrong I am in the comments section below.