Blue Jays all-time best bullpen based on WAR

Mark Eichhorn, 7.2 fWAR

A second-round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 1979, Mark Eichhorn struggled as a starter but emerged as a bulk-inning arm in the late 1980s. He earned a 7.2fWAR, the third-highest for Toronto relievers, through five seasons out of the bullpen.

Eichhorn debuted as a starter in 1982 as a 21-year-old. It wasn't pretty. He made seven starts, pitched to an 0-3 record with a 5.45 ERA and worked in the minor leagues for the next three seasons.

When he returned to Toronto in 1986, the team put him in the bullpen, where he not only thrived in a multi-inning relief role, he dominated. The rookie sidearmer led the majors in relief innings pitched (157) and strikeouts out of the bullpen (166) over 69 appearances. He accumulated the highest fWAR among all relievers, with a 4.9 score.

The 25-year-old finished the season with a 14-6 record, 10 saves, a 1.72 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He was so good that he earned votes for both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young awards, finishing third and sixth, respectively.

For any younger readers that never had the chance to see him pitch, here's Eichhorn and his funky delivery in action:

Eichhorn led the majors in relief innings again in 1987 with 127 2/3 and led the American League with 89 appearances. He pitched to a 10-6 record and got four saves with a 3.17 ERA.

Unfortunately for Eichhorn, he missed out on the two playoff years in the 1980s (1985 and 1989) as he was sent to Atlanta after the 1988 season. He finished his three seasons pitching out of the Blue Jays bullpen with a 2.72 ERA in 351 1/3 innings. Fittingly, the Jays reacquired him before the trade deadline in 1992.

Eichhorn pitched in 77 games for the Blue Jays over the 1992 and 1993 seasons and helped to secure the back-to-back World Series titles, tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings in the two playoff runs.

He played two more seasons in the majors, with the Orioles and Angels and ended up back in the Blue Jays' system in 2000 at age 39, but never made it above Triple-A. His career 14.9fWAR ranks him 27th among relievers in MLB history.

Next: Known as the ultimate set-up man, this Blue Jays reliever still has the second-most saves in team history