Top Bluejays picks in my opinion up until 2012 (names and comments from Robert Steele of jaysjournal):
1977 Willie Upshaw 1B/OF – A solid first ever pick in the Rule 5, Willie Upshaw became the Jays regular first baseman in the early 80s. His best season was in 1983 where he hit .306 with 27 home runs
1980 George Bell OF – Here’s proof that these drafts matter. George Bell went from Rule 5 selection taken from the Phillies, to 1987 AL MVP, to the Level of Excellence. It’s difficult to imagine the early Jays years without George Bell included.
1983 Kelly Gruber INF – Kelly Gruber might be the biggest Blue Jay fan-favourite in history, and if not for the Rule 5 selection, there would be no 1992 World Series triple play. (Well, sort of). A pick that helps you win a World Series is about as good as you can do
1984 Manuel Lee INF – Manny Lee may not have been at the same Hall of Fame level caliber as Roberto Alomar, but he was still an important part of that middle infield during the early 90s. Lee is another Rule 5 champion.
The baseball kid
Biagini was GREAT last year
Comments for this post have been closed by the site administrator.
sffblddt
Top Bluejays picks in my opinion up until 2012 (names and comments from Robert Steele of jaysjournal):
1977 Willie Upshaw 1B/OF – A solid first ever pick in the Rule 5, Willie Upshaw became the Jays regular first baseman in the early 80s. His best season was in 1983 where he hit .306 with 27 home runs
1980 George Bell OF – Here’s proof that these drafts matter. George Bell went from Rule 5 selection taken from the Phillies, to 1987 AL MVP, to the Level of Excellence. It’s difficult to imagine the early Jays years without George Bell included.
1983 Kelly Gruber INF – Kelly Gruber might be the biggest Blue Jay fan-favourite in history, and if not for the Rule 5 selection, there would be no 1992 World Series triple play. (Well, sort of). A pick that helps you win a World Series is about as good as you can do
1984 Manuel Lee INF – Manny Lee may not have been at the same Hall of Fame level caliber as Roberto Alomar, but he was still an important part of that middle infield during the early 90s. Lee is another Rule 5 champion.
The baseball kid
Biagini was GREAT last year