Blue Jays: Best players in franchise history to wear jersey numbers 11-20

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Continuing from the previous article, looking at the best Toronto Blue Jays players to wear jersey numbers 0-10, we will now shift our focus to the best of the best at numbers 11-20.

#11 - George Bell

Beginning at 11, the best Blue Jays player to wear the number was George Bell, who was with the team for nine seasons from 1981 until 1990. Across those nine seasons, Bell hit 202 home runs with 740 RBI and batted .286, while appearing in two All-Star Games, collecting three Silver Slugger awards and an AL MVP in 1987. Bell has been remembered as one of the greatest Blue Jays of all time, as he ranks sixth in home runs and fourth in RBI in team history. Other players to consider include David Cone and Bo Bichette, though Bell was more impactful.

#12 - Roberto Alomar

Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar is the best Blue Jay to wear number 12, winning both World Series championships with the team. The only other notable Blue Jay who wore number 12 was Ernie Whitt, who was with the team for 12 seasons. Alomar was an All-Star and Gold Glover in each of his five seasons with the Blue Jays and a key contributor during the World Series runs. Alomar ranks second on the team's all time batting average at .307 while adding 206 stolen bases too. There is no doubt that Alomar is the best Blue Jays player to wear number 12 with no upcoming competition with the team retiring the number for him.

#13 - Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

There were not many players to choose from for the 13 spot, though Lourdes Gurriel Jr. enjoyed five strong seasons for the Jays. Batting .285 while hitting 68 home runs, Gurriel was a good hitter and an improving defender, though coming off of his worst season production-wise and has since been traded to the Diamondbacks along with Gabriel Moreno in exchange for Daulton Varsho. Honorable mention goes to Buck Martinez, who was never a great hitter for the Jays though has been an integral play-by-play and color analyst for the team since 1987.

#14 - Justin Smoak

Like 13, there are not a lot of players to choose from, though Justin Smoak stands out amongst the rest. Smoak played five seasons in Toronto, hitting 117 home runs and driving in 321 runs. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson also wore number 14 for the Jays’ 1993 season, though since it was just a single season, Smoak was more impactful as a Jay.

#15 - Lloyd Moseby

15 posed one of the more difficult decisions, as there are three players from whom I was choosing, though I’m going to choose Lloyd Moseby due to his longevity with the team. The other great players to consider were Shawn Green and Alex Rios, though Moseby’s ten seasons were more productive than the others’ Blue Jays tenures. Though Moseby never reached single season numbers such as Green did, the Arkansas native was very well-rounded as he put together 373 doubles, 149 home runs, 651 RBI, and 280 stolen bases with the Jays, becoming one of the team's best CFs of all time.

#16 - Garth Iorg

The Jays have had a number of players wear16, though none have really stood out as the best of the bunch. Garth Iorg played nine seasons with the Jays and will take the cake for number 16. Never a great hitter as he only managed 20 home runs across his nine seasons, Iorg was with the team for the entirety of his major league career,. Todd Stottlemyre would’ve made it ahead of Iorg, though he switched to number 30 after just one season in 16.

#17 - Kelly Gruber

Kelly Gruber was the best Blue Jay to wear 17, and there isn’t much competition. Others to wear the number include Lyle Overbay and Ryan Goins, though Gruber was clearly the best of the three. Gruber played nine seasons with the Jays appearing in two All-Star Games, and while he only played full-time in six seasons, he managed 114 home runs, 434 RBI and a .257 AVG. Contributing to both World Series Championships in franchise history, the Jays’ best Rule 5 Draft pick of all time will be remembered as one of the best 3Bs in Jays history and the best player to wear number 17.

#18 - Jim Clancy

There was no competition for number 18 as Jim Clancy is by far the best Blue Jay to wear it. Clancy pitched 12 seasons with the Jays, including an All-Star season in 1982, as he owned a 3.71 ERA across 266.2 innings pitched. Concluding his Jays tenure with a 128–140 record to go with his 4.10 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, Clancy experienced several prolific seasons and a few subpar seasons. The Chicago native threw an impressive 2204.2 innings with the team, was a part of the team for the first ten seasons of the franchise, and was the best Blue Jay to wear the number 18 by a landslide.

#19 - José Bautista

The Jays have had some very good players wear number 19, though this was not a tough decision. Otto Velez was a good player for the Jays and Fred McGriff played four incredible seasons in Toronto, eventually leading to a Hall of Fame induction, though neither had better Jays tenures than José Bautista. Playing ten seasons with the Blue Jays, Bautista set the single-season team record for home runs with 54 in 2010, and leads the team in all-time WAR at 38.3. He also ranks second in home runs with 288 and will always be remembered for his famous bat flip home run in the crazy 7th inning of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers.

#20 - Josh Donaldson

20 is another fairly obvious decision, as the only real competition of note is Al Woods, who had a good six-year tenure. Josh Donaldson is the best player to wear number 20. Winning the AL MVP Award in 2015, Donaldson’s three and a half seasons with the Jays were unbelievably productive, hitting 116 home runs with 316 RBI, a. 281 .281 AVG, and an astonishing .931 OPS. Along with this incredible production at the plate, his defense at the hot corner was just as good, contributing an average of 17.7 defensive runs saved (DRS). An all around MVP caliber player over the course of his career with the Jays, Donaldson was among the best hitters in the entire league and deserves his respect as such being the best Blue Jay to wear the number 20.

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