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Blue Jays: Top ten designated hitters in franchise history

By Chris Henderson

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 01: Manager Charlie Montoyo #25 of the Toronto Blue Jays checks over the lineup card in the dugout before the start of MLB game action against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on April 1, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 01: Manager Charlie Montoyo #25 of the Toronto Blue Jays checks over the lineup card in the dugout before the start of MLB game action against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on April 1, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO – OCTOBER 23: Paul Molitor #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays swings at a Philadelpia Philles pitch during game 6 of the World Series at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 23, 1993. The Blue Jays won 8-6. Molitor was named the MVP of the series. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
TORONTO – OCTOBER 23: Paul Molitor #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays swings at a Philadelpia Philles pitch during game 6 of the World Series at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 23, 1993. The Blue Jays won 8-6. Molitor was named the MVP of the series. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images) /

Last but not least

1- Paul Molitor
1993 Stats: .332/.402/.509, 22 HR, 37 doubles, 111 RBI, 22 stolen bases, 5.6 bWAR

If Encarnacion isn’t at the top of the list, it shouldn’t surprise you to see Molitor’s name here. It wasn’t easy for me to put him ahead of ‘EE’ either, but the Hall of Famer was pretty spectacular during his time in Toronto.

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Speaking of not easy, I was really upset when the Blue Jays decided to let Dave Winfield become a Minnesota Twin before the 1993 season, and it took a while before I warmed up to Molitor. However, you couldn’t argue with the results on the field, and somehow he even became an upgrade at the DH position.

Folks often forget how good Molitor continued to be as a Blue Jay after that 1993 campaign, mostly because we lost a lot of games in both 1994 and 1995 because of the strike that bled into both seasons. However, when you add up the 405 games he played as a Blue Jay, he ended up slashing .315/.387/.484 with 51 home runs, 98 doubles, 246 RBI, and 54 stolen bases. When you consider that he did that in his age 36-38 seasons, it’s all that much more impressive.

Next. Podcast featuring Bo Bichette and Josh Donaldson. dark

So, how do you think I did? Is there anyone missing from the bottom of the list that you would have included? How about the top, should Encarnacion have led the group? We’re happy to hear from you as always in the comments section below.

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