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

#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.