Blue Jays: The top five Canadian-born Jays in franchise history

The Blue Jays have employed several Canadian-born players over the years. Who were the most successful Canucks in franchise history?

Major League Baseball players come from all across the globe, but for Canadian baseball fans, it’s especially fun when a homegrown talent puts on a Blue Jays jersey. It’s why so many folks have been hoping to see Joey Votto come to Toronto at some point in his career. It’s a fun storyline.

While they’ve never managed to get Votto playing baseball in Toronto for more than an away series with the Reds, the Blue Jays have had several Canucks on their rosters over the years, and some of them have been pretty good ballplayers.

As we continue to wait for MLB to return, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at the best Canadians who have played in Toronto over the years, and as always, it’s a topic that’s open for debate. One thing I quickly noticed was that many of the most talented Canadians to play in Toronto didn’t quite live up to the hype, whether that was because of a disappointing performance for one reason or another, or perhaps the media getting us a little too excited about a homegrown player.

I’ll wait until the end to give you the notable omissions list as well, just for the sake of keeping some mystery in the exercise. As far as a system of ranking, this is mostly just my opinion, but I’m basing it on numbers, longevity with the team, and an overall impact on the organization. With all of that in mind, let’s have a look at who I’ve ranked as the top five Canadians to play for the Toronto Blue Jays.