Blue Jays: Best players in franchise history to wear jersey numbers 41-50

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Following the previous article, which looked at the best Toronto Blue Jays players to wear jersey numbers 31-40, we will now look at the best of the best at jersey numbers 41-50.

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#41 Pat Hentgen

The Jays have only had four players wear the number 41, and Pat Hentgen was easily the best of the bunch. Having spent a decade in Toronto, he managed a 4.28 ERA over 1636.0 innings pitched. The right-hander experienced some inconsistency over the years, though when at his best, he was an above average pitcher, as proven by his three All-Star game selections and Cy Young Award winning season in 1996. He also holds the team’s fourth highest career WAR at 26.8. Others to wear number 41 include current Jays’ pitching coach Pete Walker, Aaron Sanchez and Rafael Dolis. Sanchez had promise - and showed some of it - but Hentgen is the clear choice here.

#42 Paul Mirabella

There will only ever be two players to wear the number 42 for the Blue Jays due to the league-wide retirement of the number for Jackie Robinson. Paul Mirabella and Xavier Hernandez both wore number 42 but neither player had much of an impact with the Jays. Since Hernandez only threw 22.2 innings, Mirabella will get the nod as the best Blue Jay ever to wear number 42. Mirabella pitched two subpar seasons in Toronto, with a 4.64 ERA and a 5-12 record over 145.1 innings pitched.

#43 R.A. Dickey

R.A. Dickey spent five seasons in Toronto after being acquired via trade the season after winning the Cy Young award with the Mets. With the Jays, the knuckleballer managed a 49-52 record with a 4.05 ERA. Never able to fully recapture his dominance he showed with the Mets, Dickey was still the most consistent starter on the team for the majority of his tenure. The only other Blue Jay to consider for the number 43 was Raúl Mondesí, who enjoyed most of his success with the Dodgers. Regardless, Dickey’s impact on the team was far greater.

#44 Casey Janssen

The number 44 is heavily populated by relief pitchers such as Tom Buskey, Frank Wills and Billy Koch, but Casey Janssen was the best of them all. Through eight seasons with the Blue Jays, Janssen racked up 90 saves and a 3.63 ERA. The leader of the bullpen for the bulk of his career, Janssen may have flown under the radar from a league prospective though was one of the more reliable relief pitchers the Jays have had in the last 20 years. Janssen was only the primary closer for three seasons, though succeeded in a setup role as well. Koch also had three good seasons with the Jays, but Janssen’s impact and tenure make him the best player to wear number 44.

#45 Kelvim Escobar

Kelvim Escobar played seven seasons in Toronto and went 58-55 with a 4.58 ERA. The Venezuelan right-hander had a somewhat inconsistent tenure with the Jays, and was deployed as both a starting and relief pitcher. As a rookie, Escobar showed promising signs as a closer collecting 14 saves with a 2.90 ERA. The transition into the starting rotation in the following seasons gave him trouble, however. Moving back into the bullpen in 2002, Escobar saved 38 games and blew only eight. With the only competition at number 45 being Rob MacDonald and Travis Snider, Escobar is clearly the best Blue Jay to wear number 45.

#46 Mike Flanagan

Playing just four seasons in Toronto, Mike Flanagan is the longest tenured Blue Jay to wear the number 46, and was also the most successful. Starting in 76 games, Flanagan holds a 26-27 record with a 3.94 ERA with the team. His best years were definitely behind him, while in Baltimore, where he won the Cy Young award in 1979. Unfortunately, there was no real competition for this number - every year it has seemingly been given to another journeyman or part time player who did nothing more than fill a roster spot.

#47 Jack Morris

Hall of Famer Jack Morris spent two seasons with the Jays towards the end of his illustrious career, winning the World Series in each year with the club. His first season with the team saw him become the first pitcher in Blue Jays history to win 20 or more games. His 21 wins tied him for the league lead and he was a vital part of the 1992 World Series run. He struggled during his second season with the club at 38 years of age, although his leadership and mental toughness was a tangible contributing factor to the team’s success, which cannot go unnoticed. The only other player to consider for the number 47 is Doyle Alexander who had four solid seasons for the Jays, but only wore number 47 for a single season and is not in the Hall of Fame.

#48 Paul Quantrill

Paul Quantrill spent six mostly consistent seasons in Toronto, including an All-Star selection in 2001. He owns a 3.67 ERA and 131 ERA+ with the team, and gave the team many quality innings out of the bullpen. The London, Ontario native was nothing special, though he was a very useful member of the late 90’s and early 2000’s bullpen. The other player to consider for the number 48 was J.A. Happ, who also spent six seasons with the Jays, but during his second and more productive stint with the team, he wore number 33 instead.

#49 Tony Castillo

Tony Castillo was with the Blue Jays for six seasons across two tenures, including a role in 1993 World Series Championship team. Castillo broke into the major leagues with the Jays before stops in Atlanta, Queens, NY, and his eventual return to Toronto. Holding a 3.49 ERA exclusively out of the bullpen, Castillo’s second tenure with the Jays was solid, as he pitched at least 50 innings with a sub-4.00 ERA in all four seasons. Jeremy Accardo was the only other Blue Jay to wear number 49 with any tenure, but only the staunchest of Jays fans would remember Accardo.

#50 Tom Henke

Not only is Tom Henke undoubtedly the best Blue Jay to wear the number 50, he is also widely recognized as the best relief pitcher to ever wear a Blue Jays uniform, period. Henke still leads the team in almost every meaningful stat, including ERA (2.48), WHIP (1.025), K/9 (10.295), and saves (217). During his eight seasons with the Jays, he only had one season with an ERA above 3.00. The Missouri native was as reliable as it gets for a relief pitcher with elite strikeout stuff and great command. Assuming the 9th inning role immediately after being acquired by the Jays, Henke was a vital piece of the 1992 World Series winning club, collecting three saves in the ALCS against the Athletics and two more in the World Series against the Braves. The only other name brand player to wear 50 would be Chris Carpenter, but he only played a single season in Toronto in the number, and the vast majority of his career success - including a Cy Young in 2005 - came in a Cardinals uniform.

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