Blue Jays: Best players in franchise history to wear jersey numbers 31-40

This is a series of the best Toronto Blue Jays players to wear jersey numbers 31-40. Read jersey numbers 21-30, 11-20, and 0-10 too.

#31 Duane Ward 

Duane Ward emerged in the late 1980s and eventually became known as one of the best relief pitchers in franchise history. 

He was acquired midway through the 1986 season in exchange for Doyle Alexander, who had been a workhorse starting pitcher for the previous three years. 

It took him a while to earn the trust of the coaching staff, but starting in 1988, Ward had an incredible run of sustained excellence. Every year from 1988 to 1992, the sturdy reliever topped 100 innings out of the bullpen, while averaging over 70 appearances per season. 

When it came to be his time to “shut it down”, Ward proved he could be just as dominant as longtime closer Tom Henke, saving an American League-best 45 games in 1993. 

#32 Roy Halladay 

It’s hard to put into words just how much Roy Halladay meant to the organization. He touched so many lives and set a standard for dominance, hard work and professionalism that will never be forgotten. 

Right from the get-go, it was clear “Doc” had the chance to be special when he nearly tossed a no-hitter in just his second career start. He was demoted briefly in 2001, but that only seemed to push Halladay to become one of the best pitchers in the majors.

He was a tireless worker, four times leading the league in innings pitched and surpassing the 200-inning mark eight times. The former first-round pick was a Cy Young Award winner twice and was a finalist five times. Halladay died tragically in a plane accident in 2017 and has since had his number retired by both the Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies, and was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2019.

#36 David Wells 

David Wells wore #36 during his first tenure with the Jays from 1987-1992. He made 237 appearances over those years, including 69 starts. 

“Boomer” made all but two of those starts in the last three years of his initial time with the team. His best season as a reliever came in 1989 when Wells went 7-4 with a 2.40 ERA over 86.1 innings of work. 

The next year, Wells started 24 contests and went 11-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 189 innings, good for 4.3 WAR. He’d slump a bit in 1992 but made amends by pitching 4.1 scoreless frames in the World Series. 

#37 Dave Stieb  

There aren’t many players in franchise lore with a more interesting story than Dave Stieb, You’d also be hard-pressed to come up with another name who pissed off baseball writers (and occasionally teammates) more than this #37.

Stieb’s behavior in the early part of his career probably cost him some Cy Young votes and some hurt feelings along the way but it was all part of his journey, and what a winding road it was. 

After a career at Southern Illinois University primarily as an outfielder, Stieb was drafted in the fifth round in 1978 and promptly made his MLB debut the next year. By 1980, Stieb was already the Jays' best pitcher, a place he’d hold for most of the next decade. 

Stieb is the franchise leader in wins (175), strikeouts (1658) and innings pitched (2873) while making seven All-Star appearances. He was wildly overlooked in both Cy Young voting and Hall of Fame consideration, but his name is in the Level of Excellence and longtime Blue Jays fans know how much he meant to the team.

#38 Mark Eichhorn 

You could make the case for Robbie Ray here, but Mark Eichhorn gets the nod for having one of the best three-year stretches by a relief pitcher this team has ever seen. 

After flaming out as a starter by the mid-80s, Eichhorn re-invented himself as a sidearm-throwing reliever, and the makeover was stunning. Hitters couldn’t figure out his delivery, and despite low velocity on his pitches, Eichhorn was remarkably efficient.

His rookie season in 1986 was one of the best by a bullpen arm ever. Eishhorn threw 157 innings and went 14-6 with a 1.72 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 10 saves. He appeared in nearly 200 games between ‘86-’88 and won 24 games with a 10.1 WAR. 

#39 Gustavo Chacin 

Some numbers offer more of a bounty than others. Gustavo Chacin got his first shot at the big leagues in 2004, and after a pair of decent outings, won a spot in the rotation the following year. 

That was Chacin’s time to shine, and he did, going 13-9 with a 3.72 ERA over 203 innings to finish top-five in Rookie of the Year voting. The luster began to wear off though and after a shaky 2006 campaign and a rough start in ‘07, Chacin was demoted and out of the majors a few years later. 

#40 Mike Timlin 

Mike Timlin made his debut at age 25 and was immediately asked to do some heavy lifting out of the bullpen. He went 11-6 with a 3.16 ERA and pitched 108 innings in his rookie season. 

Timlin was famously on the mound when Otis Nixon bunted down the first base line. He had to act quickly to get the speedy Nixon and also executed a perfect throw to Joe Carter for the ultimate out. 

The native Texan would have his ups and downs over the years but was a gamer and battled through almost 400 innings and recorded 52 saves, the ninth-most in Jays' history.