The Philadelphia Phillies first signed George Bell in 1978, but the Blue Jays nabbed him in the Rule 5 Draft, forcing Bell to play his entire season in the Majors, arguably before he was ready.  After a season-and-a-half in the Minors, Bell was called up for good to play in Leftfield as Toronto's starter, and he quickly turned heads with his power.  

Bell hit 26 Home Runs in his first full year and 28 the year after when the Blue Jays made it to their first postseason.  After another year of improvement (1986, 31 HR, 108 RBI, .309), where he was fourth in MVP voting, Bell had his best year in Baseball, and though Toronto had already made the playoffs before, many felt that this was when the Jays had arrived.

In 1987, Bell won the MVP and the Major League Player of the Year when he blasted 47 Home Runs, batted .308, and led the AL in RBIs with 134.  He was also an All-Star for the first time that year.  It was the first time that any Blue Jay was considered the best Baseball player, and it was huge for a young team outside of the United States.  Bell might not have repeated those metrics, but his offense was still solid over the next two years, with a fourth-place finish in MVP voting in 1989.

Bell went to his second All-Star in 1990, but his inconsistency and temperament began to distance him from the fans, and he left for the Cubs at the season's end.

As a Blue Jay, Bell smacked 202 Home Runs and had 740 RBIs with a .286 Batting Average, and was later inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  Bell is also a member of the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

With all due respect to Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, two incredible players, the acquisition that sent them for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter was the transaction that made Toronto.

Carter was the one who hit the most famous Home Run in Blue Jays history, but Alomar was the true gem of the deal.  In the five seasons that Alomar was with Toronto, there was no doubt that he was the top Second Baseball in the American League, both with his bat and glove.  Alomar went to the All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove in all of his Jays campaigns, and was the engine that led Toronto to back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.

Alomar was an excellent hitter when he played for Toronto.  He batted over .300 in four of his five years, with the other year seeing the Second Baseman bat .295.  He had a patient eye, walked often, and when he was on base, he was always a threat to steal, swiping over 50 bases twice and 206 in total in Toronto.  

As good as Alomar was, he grew impatient with the Blue Jays management when they went into rebuilding mode, and he signed with Baltimore after the 1995 Season as a Free Agent.  He batted.  307 with 832 Hits for Toronto, and would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall.  The team also retired his #12, and inducted him into their Level of Excellence, though neither are no longer displayed following sexual misconduct allegations when he worked for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Vernon Wells was the fifth pick taken in the 1997 Amateur Draft, and the Blue Jays slowly moved up the native of Shreveport to where he was a bona fide starting Outfielder in 2002.

Wells had a breakout year in 2003, where not only did he go to the All-Star Game, he led the AL in Hits (215) and Doubles (49) while posting career-highs in Home Runs (33), RBIs (117) and the Slash Line (.317/.359/.550).  He would also go to his first All-Star Game, and Wells earned a Silver Slugger with an eighth-place finish in MVP voting.

Wells continued over the next few seasons to be one of the top Outfielders in the American League, winning three straight Gold Gloves (2004-06) and continuing to blast Home Runs.  He was an All-Star again in 2006 and 2019 and would belt 223 taters as a Blue Jay.

Wells was traded to the Angels before the 2011 Season but never came close to what he did as a Jay ever again.

Last night, at UFC 284, Jen Pulver was announced as an impending member of the UFC Hall of Fame.  He will be entering via the Pioneer Wing.

The first ever UFC Lightweight Champion won the belt at UFC 30 in 2001 with a win over Caol Uno.  He defended it twice before leaving the promotion for PRIDE, but would return in UFC 68, albeit in defeat.  He had an overall MMA record of 27-19-1 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Pulver for his impending honor.