Jays Journal
FanSided

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

By Chris Henderson

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 08: Canada's manager Ernie Whitt visits the mound for a pitching change in the bottom of eighth inning during the WBSC Premier 12 Opening Round Group C game between Australia and Canada at the Gocheok Sky Dome on November 08, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 08: Canada's manager Ernie Whitt visits the mound for a pitching change in the bottom of eighth inning during the WBSC Premier 12 Opening Round Group C game between Australia and Canada at the Gocheok Sky Dome on November 08, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
5 Jul 1998: Pitcher Paul Quantrill #48 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action during a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Sky Dome in Toronto, Canada. The Blue Jays defeated the Devil Rays 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
5 Jul 1998: Pitcher Paul Quantrill #48 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action during a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Sky Dome in Toronto, Canada. The Blue Jays defeated the Devil Rays 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

3- Paul Quantrill (11.2 bWAR over six seasons)

When I started this exercise I thought the most difficult part would be narrowing down the top five. In reality, I found the hardest part to be ranking where those top five should sit, so feel free to disagree at any point here.

Paul Quantrill is a good example, as his contribution to the Blue Jays flew under the radar at times during a difficult period in franchise history. That said, he was a very solid contributor over the course of six seasons, posting a 3.67 ERA and a 1.441 WHIP over 386 appearances and 517.2 innings.

Quantrill worked primarily as a middle reliever, but part of his value was his flexibility and ability to pitch in whatever role he was asked. He even made 20 starts over those six years as well, and picked up 15 saves during his Blue Jays tenure.

His compiling stats arguably could have had him higher on the list, but as I mentioned earlier, Quantrill wasn’t around for any of the truly competition seasons in Blue Jays history, so his impact on the franchise is more difficult to measure. He was in Toronto from 1996-2001, and while those teams never reached the post-season, some of them were still fun to watch and even flirted with contending for a playoff spot at times, thanks in part to Quantrill’s steady presence out of the bullpen.

The native of London, Ontario ended up pitching for 14 big league seasons, making stops with seven different teams including the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, Padres and Marlins.

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News