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Committee Chairman

Committee Chairman

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

39. Marcus Stroman

Marcus Stroman was considered one of Toronto's top prospects since he was a First Round Pick in 2012, and it only took him two years to make the Jays starting rotation.  It was a promising rookie year for Stroman, who went 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA and 111 Strikeouts, though a torn ACL in 2015 Spring Training hampered his growth.

The Blue Jays were an improving club in 2015, and Stroman was able to come back late in the season, winning all four of his decisions and helping Toronto reach the ALCS.  Stroman was not as good in 2016 (9-10, 4.37 ERA) but rebounded with a 13-9/164 SO/3.09 ERA year, where he also won the Gold Glove.  

The up-and-down career of Stroman continued, with an awful 2018 (4-9, 5.54 ERA), but he was much better in his first 21 Games in 2019, despite a losing record of 6-11, though he had a 2.96 ERA.  The 2019 Jays were not contenders, and Stroman was dealt to the Mets, ending Stroman's career with a 47-45 Record, 635 Strikeouts, and a 3.76 ERA.

27. Bo Bichette

The son of former Colorado Rockies' star Dante Bichette, Bo Bichette was a star at Arizona State, which he parlayed into a Second Round Pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016.  Three years later, the second-generation player was called up, and he has taken over where his father left off.  Bichette played only in 46 Games that year for the Jays but batted .311 with 11 Home Runs and matched Ted Williams' rookie mark of nine straight games with an Extra Base Hit.

Bichette missed a lot of the COVID-shortened 2020 but exploded in 2021, going to the All-Star Game with a league-leading 191 Hits while batting .298 with 298 with 29 Home Runs, 102 RBIs, and 25 Stolen Bases.  He was now a star, a more balanced player than his dad, and was 12th in MVP voting.  Bichette led the AL in Hits again in 2022 (189), was 11th in MVP voting, and had a good power year (24 HR).  Last season, Bichette emerged as the Blue Jays best player, adding a second All-Star, and batting over .300 for the first time (.307).

Going into 2024, Bichette had the makings of an MVP, but he had his worst year to date, fighting injuries while finishing with a negative bWAR (-0.3) and .598 OPS.  It has to be better for Bichette in 2025, for the Blue Jays to have any success.

36. Willie Upshaw

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.

35. Paul Quantrill

One of the few Canadians to play for a Canadian team, Paul Quantrill's hometown was London, Ontario, two hours away from Toronto.  The Pitcher played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin and then professionally for the Red Sox and Phillies before the latter traded him to Toronto after the 1995 Season.

Quantrill's first year with the Blue Jays was dismal, going 5-14 with a 5.43 ERA and going back and forth as a starter and reliever.  Going into 1997, Quantrill was assigned to the bullpen, and it was a good fit for him, as he kept his ERA low (1.94 in 1997 and 2.59 in 1998), and in 2001, he was an All-Star Middle Reliver, leading the AL in Games Pitched (80) with an 11-2 record.  

Quantrill was traded to Los Angeles after his 2001 All-Star year, leaving the Jays with 386 appearances.  He is also a part of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.