Blue Jays: Top 10 Rule 5 Selections in Team History

Was there someone great at seven or eight?

#8. Aquilino Lopez – 2002

Originally signed as an international free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 1997, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Aquilino Lopez in the 2002 draft.  Lopez would crack the 25-man roster and by August had become the Blue Jays’ closer. Lopez would pick up 12 saves over the last two months of the season and finished the year with 14. He ended up pitching in 72 games and held a 3.42 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

However, in 2004 he struggled to start the season. By mid-June he had an ERA of 6.00 and was sent to the minors.  In AAA Lopez continued to struggle and was unable to get recalled after posting a 1-6 record out of the bullpen with a 7.17 ERA.  He was granted free agency going into the next off-season and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

#7. Jim Gott  – 1981

After a handful of years of the Blue Jays organization they had a new manager in Bobby Cox, some pieces in the starting rotation, but still needed to fill out the back end of that rotation.  In the 1981 Rule 5 Draft, they selected Jim Gott from the St. Louis Cardinals, who had taken him in the fourth round a few seasons prior.

Gott would pitch three seasons for the Blue Jays from 1982-1984 collecting 21 wins, pitching in 99 games, starting 65 of them. In his final season with the Blue Jays he would start 12 games and come out of the bullpen for 23 where he would pick up seven wins, which included a complete game shutout, and two saves.  During his tenure he finished with a 21-30 record, 4.45 ERA, threw eight complete games, three of which were shutouts.  After the 1984 season he would be packaged to the San Francisco Giants for Gary Lavelle.