Best Toronto Blue Jays Roster of All Time

Teams with a stacked roster are inevitably among the favourites to win the World Series in MLB odds. The Toronto Blue Jays have won the Fall Classic on two occasions and had elite rosters in numerous other seasons since the franchise first played in the majors in 1977. 

Choosing the Blue Jays’ greatest roster is not as simple as picking between the 1992 and 1993 teams. A case can be made for 1985, 2015, and 2022. 

I selected the 1987 roster as the best in Toronto Blue Jays history. Winners of 96 games, it’s not the franchise’s most successful season, but their 52.4 combined bWAR led the majors and was more than they achieved in either of their World Series-winning seasons or their 99-win campaign in 1985. 

Best Toronto Blue Jays Roster of All Time

Infield

Shortstop Tony Fernández led the team in bWAR and finished eighth in MVP voting with an All-Star selection and a Gold Glove to his name. Ernie Whitt was the second-most productive infielder on the 1987 Jays with 2.6 bWAR. 

In his age-35 season, Whitt hit a career-high 19 homers, along with seven zone fielding runs above average. He also threw out 36% of players attempting to steal. 

Former Royal Rance Mulliniks was also into his 30s, but he posted the best OPS of his career while playing serviceable defence at the hot corner. 

Outfield

Winner of AL MVP in 1987, George Bell had the third-highest home run rate in the majors and led both leagues in total bases. It was Bell’s third straight season winning the Silver Slugger award, and comfortably the best campaign of his career.

He was accompanied in the outfield by Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby. This was the strongest position group on the 1987 Blue Jays, with all three starting outfielders ranking in the top six on the team in bWAR. Only the Mets generated more bWAR from their outfielders.

Moseby finished the season fourth in championship win probability added. Barfield won a Gold Glove and hit 28 homers. 

Starting Pitching

Led by Jimmy Key, the Blue Jays had one of the best rotations in baseball in 1987. Only the Dodgers and Royals got more bWAR from their starting staffs. Key might have led the majors in ERA+ and WHIP, but baseball odds never gave him much of a chance in the Cy Young race against Roger Clemens.

Our 🔑 to success!

🔹 5x All-Star
🔹 2x World Series Champ
🔹 1987 ERA Title
🔹 1987 Pitcher of the Year
🔹 Elite pickoff move
🔹 3.42 #BlueJays ERA (T-1st in franchise history)

Jimmy Key is officially a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yg06N9lJu9

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 6, 2024

Toronto got quality starts in 52% of their games, which was only bettered by four teams. Their rotation had the fourth-best ERA in the big leagues, with Key backed up by Jim Clancy, Dave Stieb, John Cerutti, and Joe Johnson.

Bullpen

A dodgy bullpen can undermine even the most talented rosters. Luckily for the Jays in 1987, their relief corps did a great job at converting leads into wins. The Reds, Expos, and Phillies were the only teams to have a higher bWAR from their relievers. 

The bullpen posted a 1.32 WHIP, which was the best among all American League teams. Only the Giants’ relievers clocked more strikeouts than Toronto’s total of 428. 

Tom Henke, the pitcher with the most saves in Toronto Blue Jays history, saved the third-most games in the big leagues in 1987.