gold star for USAHOF

37. Willie Upshaw

37. Willie Upshaw
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: April 27, 1957 in Blanco, TX USA
  • Weight: 185 lbs.
  • Height: 6'0"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: L
  • Debut: April 09, 1978
  • Final Game: September 28, 1988
  • MVP - 1983
  • MVP - 1984
 
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Willie Upshaw was taken from the Yankees organization via the Rule 5 Draft, with the Blue Jays hopeful that he would be the First Baseman of the future, and by 1982, four years after, he was their starter. 

Upshaw was one of Toronto’s building blocks, and he had three straight 150 Hit years, the first two where he belted over 20 Home Runs.  His best season was in 1983, where he had career-bests in HR (27), Hits (177), RBI (104), and the Slash Line (.306/.373/.515) and received votes for the MVP, finishing 11th.  Upshaw could not reproduce that year but was a large part in getting them to their first playoff in 1985.  He played three more years in Toronto before Cleveland bought his contract.

Upshaw’s offensive numbers look like he should be higher, but First Baseman generally are better producers, which hampers his rank a little.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: First Base
  • Acquired: Selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the New York Yankees 12/5/77.
  • Departed:

    Sold to the Cleveland Indians 3/25/88.

  • Games Played: 1,115
  • Notable Statistics:

    538 Runs Scored
    982 Hits
    177 Doubles
    42 Triples
    112 Home Runs
    478 Runs Batted In
    76 Stolen Bases
    .265/.336/.426 Slash Line
    12.7 bWAR

    7 Playoff Games
    2 Runs Scored
    6 Hits
    2 Doubles
    0 Triples
    0 Home Runs
    1 Run Batted In
    0 Stolen Bases
    .231/.286/.308 Slash Line

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Most Putouts (1982)
    Most Putouts by a First Baseman (1982)
    Most Total Zone Runs by a First Baseman (1987)

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