Top 5 first basemen in Blue Jays franchise history by WAR

1. Carlos Delgado (36.8 bWAR)

There's no doubt that Carlos Delgado is one of the most important players in the franchise. From the moment he was drafted at age 16, the Jays knew there was great things to come from Delgado. He got consistent playing time in 1996, and the Puerto Rican slugger never looked back. Delgado slashed .282/.392/.556 in 12 seasons for the Blue Jays. Despite playing for some lesser Jays' teams in the 90's and 2000's, Delgado remained the proud face of the franchise.

He ranks 1st in home runs (336), doubles (343), walks (827) On-Base Plus Slugging (.949), runs (889), runs batted in (1058), and total bases (2,786). As a 2 time All Star and 3 Silver Sluggers with the Jays, Delgado established himself as a true threat at the plate in one of the heaviest offensive environments that the game has ever had, and yet it still feels that he was underrated during his prime.

Delgado received just 3.8 percent of votes to join the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and was promptly taken off the ballot after only his first year on it. He makes a better case to be in the Hall of Fame, rather than be removed after 1 year. Even after the fact, Delgado remained stoic as ever, saying, “Sometimes there’s things in life you can’t control. This is one of them. I’m not going to let it overshadow what I’ve done in my career.” Despite him being overlooked for Cooperstown, Delgado is apart of the Toronto Blue Jays Level of Excellence, where he will forever be enshrined as one of the most valuable and important Jays in the history of the franchise.