Blue Jays: Who had the best offensive three-year stretch?

Over the years, Blue Jays fans have been treated to some heroic single seasons by Blue Jays greats, whether it was AL-MVP seasons by Josh Donaldson and George Bell, or a franchise setting 54 home run season by Jose Bautista.  What is truly enjoyable to watch is when these players can come back season after season and perform.

The lockout is over, the season is around the corner and we are all getting excited for the 2022 MLB Season.  While we wait, I thought I would take a look at some of the best performances over a span of a few years and I felt looking at a three-year span was a suitable tally on how a player performed.  This list is about which players had the best offensive three consecutive season production.  It is not picking and choosing three years over say an eight-year Blue Jay career, but who has to be the best three consecutive seasons.

10. Fred McGriff (1988-1990)

A generation of kids watching the Blue Jays had power-hitting Fred McGriff to choose as their favourite player and watching his smooth swing put balls into the gap for a double or over the fence for a home run had fans amazed at the young first basemen.

Between the years of 1988-1990, McGriff was the model of consistency as he collected 34, 36 and 35 home runs while posting a slash line of .284/.392/.535 and an OPS of .927.  McGriff would lead the team in two of those years in terms of WAR and the one season he did not lead, he finished second to Dave Stieb who finished with a record of 18-6 along with a 2.93 ERA and a No-Hitter.

McGriff would receive AL-MVP votes in all three seasons and win the Silver Slugger Award in 1989 when he led the American League in home runs (36) and OPS (.924), which was actually the lowest OPS of those three seasons.  McGriff looked like a mainstay for years to come, but with the emergence of John Olerud, he was traded to San Diego in the most famous trades in team history that brought back Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.

9. Shannon Stewart (1999-2001)

One player that is often forgotten and was one of the top offensive players in team history was Shannon Stewart.  Stewart would play parts of 10 seasons with the Blue Jays and had a slash line of .298/.365/.440, with his best seasons coming from 1999-2001.

Stewart was a first-round pick of the club, 19th overall way back in 1992 and entering the 1999 season he had already put one full season on the roster under his belt.  Over the span of those three campaigns, Stewart would twice hit at least 40 doubles in a season and only one other player (Alex Rios) has hit more doubles over a three-year span than Stewart.  In 2000, he posted his best season over his career, when he collected 43 doubles, 21 home runs and had a slash line of .319/.363/.518, while stealing 20 bases.

One year later, in 2001, Stewart would have a nearly identical season, however, his home runs dropped to 12, but would still receive some consideration for the AL-MVP as one voter had him as a finalist.  During his time between 1999-2001, Stewart would play in 436 games and post a slash line of .313/.369/.462.

8. George Bell (1985-1987)

The first player in franchise history to win the AL-MVP award was George Bell back in 1987, a season in which he hit 47 home runs and had a league-leading 134 RBI while posting a slash line of .308/.352/.605.  That year, Bell would win his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award and he would finally take home the MVP award after finishing fourth and eighth in voting the previous two seasons.

Bell is often remembered for that power-hitting season in 1987 and what is usually forgotten is what he did in 1985, when he and teammate Jesse Barfield became the first Blue Jays to have a 20-20 season, in which they collected 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Bell was never known as a speedster and only had 33 stolen bases total over those three seasons, but the power numbers were there as he hit 106 home runs, which is the fifth most in franchise history over a three-year time frame.  During that span, Bell averaged 35 home runs, 112 RBI and a slash line of .298/.343/.539.

7. John Olerud – 1992-1994

The Blue Jays had such confidence in John Olerud, that they traded a 26-year old power-hitting Fred McGriff to give “Johnny O” the spot at first base.  Olerud has an interesting rise to the major leagues as he made his Blue Jays debut in the same season he was drafted, without ever playing a minor league game.

By the time he was 24 years old, Olerud was the starting first basemen on the back-to-back World Series Champions.  For a team to be good, you would need a roster full of talent and Olerud was one of the best on those teams.  Known for his sweet swing, Olerud led the American League in doubles (54), batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.473) and OPS (1.072) in 1993, which led to him finishing third in AL-MVP voting.

Between the years 1992-1994, Olerud averaged 37 doubles, 17 home runs, while posting a slash line of .319/.420/.516 and an OPS of .936 and be named to the All-Star game in 1993.

6. Edwin Encarnacion 2012-2014

Edwin Encarnacion had an interesting start to his career with the Blue Jays.  He was acquired at the Trade Deadline in 2009 from the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that sent Scott Rolen the other way.

During his 40-game audition that season he collected just 14 extra-base hits while posting a .240 batting average, which led to him being put on waivers and claimed by the Oakland Athletics that offseason.  Less than a month after being claimed by the Athletics he hit free agency and signed back with the Blue Jays.  Encarnacion struggled over his next two seasons, mostly on the field defensively and earned the mocking nickname “E5” because of his errors at third base.

In 2012, Manager John Farrell decided to remove Encarnacion from the hot corner permanently and he split the remainder of his time between first base and designated hitter, which led to the Blue Jays finding one of the greatest hitters in franchise history.  If we were looking at a list of players over a five-year span, there would be four players: Roberto Alomar, Jose Bautista, Carlos Delgado and Encarnacion, then there would be the rest.

The Blue Jays have had some great single seasons by individuals, but what players could put up consecutive seasons to really show their greatness?

The time frame between 2012-2014 was Encarnacion’s best three, which saw him average 37 home runs and 104 RBI with a .274 batting average and .916 OPS.  He would be named to the All-Star Game twice in that span, as well as received AL-MVP votes in both 2012 and 2013.  The time frame helped Encarnacion finish his time with the Blue Jays with third-most home runs trailing just Bautista and Delgado.

5. Roberto Alomar (1992-1994)

The one guy many people remember as the best all-around player for the Blue Jays in the early to mid-90s was Roberto Alomar.  If we made a list of five-year span it would likely come down to Alomar, Carlos Delgado, Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Bautista (until Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr have enough years).

From 1992 to 1994, Alomar never batted below .306, which included the 1993 season that saw him post a .326 average which was good for third in the American League, as well as his team as he trailed John Olerud and Paul Molitor.  Alomar had his career-high 55 stolen bases in the same season, which also came with 17 home runs and 93 RBI.  Over that period, Alomar was not a huge home run threat, but he still finished with 87 doubles, 18 triples, 33 home runs and 207 RBI, while posting a slash line of .315/.401/.458.

While this article is about offence, it should be noted he won a Gold Glove in all three of these seasons (including the two other seasons in a Blue Jays uniform).  Alomar finished sixth in AL-MVP voting in both 1992 and 1993 while being named an All-Star each year.

During the 1992 World Series, Alomar had the biggest home run at that time in franchise history.  In the top of the ninth inning of Game 4, with the team down by two runs, Alomar would hit a two-run home run off of the leagues best closer Dennis Eckersley to tie the game, which eventually led to the team winning the game in extra innings and take a strangle home on the series, which they would later win.

Alomar took home the ALCS MVP after going 11 for 26 (.423) with a pair of home runs and five stolen bases.  During the two World Series runs, Alomar would go 35 for 101 (.347) with nine extra-base hits, while stealing 16 of 18 bases over 24 games.

4. Jose Bautista – 2010-2012

Fans young and old are well aware of the power numbers that Jose Bautista had during his time as a Toronto Blue Jay, especially from 2010 and later.  However, had you told anybody in 2009 that the soon-to-be 29-year old Bautista would become one of the greatest home run hitters in the game over the next few seasons, you probably would have been laughed at.

After the 2009 season, Bautista earned a career batting average of .238, struck out twice as many times as he walked and had averaged16 home runs over a 162-game season during his career.  When the 2010 season started, things began the same, as the first 26 games started with 24 strikeouts and a batting average of .206, while hitting just four home runs.

However, once May rolled around, Bautista heated up and didn’t cool down for the next six seasons.  In the final 135 games that year, Bautista would post a slash line of .271/.393/.661 while slugging another 50 home runs for 54 on the season and brought his strikeouts down to his walk totals.

Bautista would follow 2010 up with what I believe was his best season of his career.  His home runs dropped by 11 down to 43, however, his batting average increased by 42 points and his on-base percentage increased by 69 points thanks to a league-leading 132 walks.  Bautista would take home his second consecutive Home Run Title, along with his second Silver Slugger Award.  The Dominican native would miss nearly 70 games in 2011 due to injury but would still have more home runs over that three-year span than any other player in franchise history.  Bautista would finish with 124 home runs while posting a slash line of .271/.400/.593 and have the second-highest OPS in team history (.992).

3.  Josh Donaldson – 2015-2017

The Blue Jays acquired Josh Donaldson ahead of the 2015 MLB season and at the time paid a hefty price by sending three prospects and a young major league ready infielder in Brett Lawrie to the Oakland Athletics. The Blue Jays won the trade by a landslide as Donaldson would become one of the top-hitting third basemen in the American League over the next three seasons.

Donaldson endeared himself to fans early in his career at just 38 games into his first season.  The team had just lost their fourth straight game and dropped the Blue Jays to 17-21 on the season.  In a postgame interview, Donaldson called out his whole team stating “This isn’t the try league, this is the get it done league and eventually they are going to find people who are going to get it done”.  The team continued to struggle over the next few weeks but put things together that eventually led to their first pennant in 22 years thanks in large part to Donaldson’s production.  Donaldson would win just the second MVP in franchise history in a season he led the league in RBI (123) while earning a slash line of .297/.371/.568 and lifting 41 balls over the fence.

Donaldson was the model of consistency over the next two seasons, as he put up almost identical numbers that led to a top-four AL-MVP finish and a second Silver Slugger Award in 2016.  The MVP third basemen is just one of four players in franchise history to have at least 110 home runs over a three-year time frame while having the fourth-best OPS (.974) over that same time period.  Unfortunately for Donaldson, injuries would hamper his final season with the club in 2018, or he may have earned an extension and be really listed as one of the top greats in franchise history.

During the time frame between 2015 and 2017, Donaldson averaged 31 doubles, 37 home runs, 100 RBI, while posting a slash line of .285/.387/.559 and a .946 OPS.

2. Paul Molitor (1993-1995)

During the 1992 World Series victory, the Blue Jays had veteran Dave Winfield on the team but he left in free agency at the conclusion of the Victory Parade.  This led to an open spot for the Blue Jays to bring in a veteran player at DH, which led to them signing 36-year old Paul Molitor to a three-year deal.  To be honest, I knew at the time Molitor was a great player, but I also thought he was on his last legs; to be clear, he did not play like his career was winding down at all, he was one of the best players in the league over that time frame.

In his first season with the Blue Jays, Molitor finished second in AL MVP voting, won a Silver Slugger, led the league in hits and trailed only teammate John Olerud in batting average.  In the regular season, Molitor posted a slash line of .332/.402/.509 and believe it or not that was nothing compared to what he did in the postseason.  During the American League Championship, Molitor went 9 for 23 (.391) with four extra-base hits, but again that wasn’t the best part of his season.  In the World Series, Molitor went 11 for 24 (.458) with seven extra-base hits over six games, while registering three walks to no strikeouts on his way to World Series MVP and his first championship ring.

Some may have wondered if Molitor would regress as he was getting older in 1994, but he was just as good.  The strike caused the 1994 season to end early, but through 115 games that season, Molitor was on pace for another 20-home run and 100 RBI season, while posting a slash line slightly higher than the season before.  Molitor would regress in the 1995 campaign which was caused more due to injury but still posted elite-level numbers.  Molitor would leave Toronto after his three seasons, but if you incorporate what he did in the 1993 playoffs, Molitor may have had the greatest three seasons in franchise history.  Over his three years in a Blue Jays uniform, Molitor posted a slash line of .315/.387/.484, while averaging 20 home runs, 97 RBI and 18 stolen bases per season.