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Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

Orlando Hudson came a long way from the 1997 43rd Round Pick to make the Jays roster in 2002, and the defensive-minded Second Baseman used his glove to show his worth on the Majors. 

Hudson went into 2003 as Toronto’s starter at Second, finishing the season with a 1.5 Defensive bWAR and batted .268.  He then had his best year as a Jay, leading the American League in Defensive bWAR (2.7) with 12 Home Runs and a .270 Batting Average.  Hudson then won the Gold Glove in 2005 (he should have won it in 2004) with similar metrics.

Toronto sent Hudson to Arizona in 2006, leaving the Infielder with 437 Hits and a Defensive bWAR of 7.5.

Damaso Garcia was not an original Blue Jay, but for many in Toronto, he was their first infielder who connected with the fans.

After two years in a reserve role with the Yankees, Garcia was traded to Toronto in 1980, where he was still rookie-eligible.  He collected 151 Hits, finished fourth for the ROY, and had a respectable Batting Average (.278), and arguably had his best season in 1982, batting .310, swiping 54 bases, and winning a Silver Slugger.  After another decent year in 1983 (.307, 31 SB), Garcia went to the All-Star Game in both 1984 and 1985, though his season-end Batting Averages were under .300, though still good (.284 and .282, respectively).

1986 was a disaster for Garcia, who was dropped to ninth in the lineup and slumped.  Looking to break out, he burned his uniform in the clubhouse, drawing the ire of Manager Jimy Williams, who ripped him apart in front of his teammates.  Garcia never broke out of the slump and was traded to the Braves after the season.

If the rank of Garcia seems low, he was penalized for his lack of power (32 HR in 902 Games), average defense, and weak OBP (.312).  

47. Adam Lind

Adam Lind played most of his career with Toronto (2006-14), first showing up to the Jays as a September callup. 

Lind proved that he could hit, but he was an abysmal fielder and could only find a place in the Majors as a Designated Hitter, and for a brief time, he was among the best in this role.  Lind entered this role full-time in 2009, and he was phenomenal that year, hitting 35 Home Runs with 114 RBI and a .306 Batting Average.  He won the Silver Slugger and the Edgar Martinez Award as the game's top DH, but this was his high-water mark.

Lind had three more 20 HR years but struggled with his average and strikeouts, and would spend more time in the Minors.  He never got that 2009 level back and was traded to Milwaukee after the 2014 Season, and left the team with 931 Hits, 146 Home Runs, and a .276 Batting Average.

Mark Eichhorn had a tumultuous road to the Majors, first making it in 1982, but shoulder issues kept him from another MLB Game until 1986.

Eichhorn found a role for the Jays in late relief, winning 24 Games from 1986 to 1988 and leading the American League in Games Pitched (89) in 1987).  Toronto retooled and sold his contract to Atlanta in 1989, but the then-Angel was traded back to Toronto before the 1992 Trade Deadline.  Eichhorn was used in middle relief, and he helped Toronto in their back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.

Eichhorn left as a Free Agent for Baltimore after the second World Series, and the Pitcher threw in 279 Games with a 3.03 ERA.