Some perimeters here....I only chose Jays that were a part of the team for a decent part of time or accomplished something that was ground breaking for the franchise.
So here we go.....
Opening Day Starter: - Roy "Doc" Halladay
If I could pick one pitcher to start any game for me, it would be Doc. The quintessential professional who to this day could possibly be the most well respected ball player to ever wear the Jays uniform, and boy could can he pitch. You knew that no matter what was going in in Jays world during his tenure, every 5th day you were sure you were going to get a win. This is an easy decision for me.
Roy won the Cy Young in 2003 the same year that he set the all-time Blue Jays record to wins in a season at 22. As a Jay he represented them 6 times in the All-star game. He is second all time in wins even though he started almost 120 games less than the all time leader. Had a winning percentage of .661, only average 2 walks per 9 innings and had a average of 6.59 K's per 9, and my favorite stat (because it's so rare these days) but he had 49 complete games as a Jay.
2nd Spot - Roger Clemens
Although he was only a Blue Jay for 2 years (Those 2 years will go down arguably as the most controversial of his career given that's where all the allegations of steroids came from), those two years were absolutely unfrickenbelivable. He was hands down the most dominant pitcher in the MLB for those two years and that is why he is on my list.
In those two years he racked up 41 wins, had an ERA of 2.33, a WHIP is 1.061, a K/9 rate of 10.2, 14 complete games, 6 shutouts, a wining percentage of .759, went to the All-Star game twice and won 2 CY Young awards. That is ridiculous, even for a guy getting shot up in a hotel room overlooking the field.
3rd Spot - Dave Stieb
When you look up the definition of fierce Ccompetitor you may very well find a picture of Dave Stieb. Stieb was originally a center fielder in University but was tansitioned to a pitcher, which proved to be a great decision ultimately. There's no real way to tell how good Stieb's numbers could have been as he was a great pitcher who was on a lot of bad teams. Saying that he left his mark on almost every pitching record that the Blue Jays have.
He is still the All-Time Blue Jays leaders in Wins, Shut outs in a season, complete games, innings pitched in a season, number of appearances in an All-Star game at 7. He had a career 3.42 ERA, had 103 complete games and had a 5.62 winning percentage.
...All that said all Jays fans will remember him for his....
4th Spot - Jimmy Key
I could have easily put a rotation together that consisted of all RHP, but that would be stupid....My Left handed pitcher of choice for the Jays was none other than Jimmy Key. Not to be over shadowed by Dave Stieb as the ultimate Jays pitcher of the 80's, Key was probably one of the best Left handers in the majors during his career. If you're like me you'll always remember Jimmy Key for his game 4 win against Tom Glavine in the 1992 world series, where he out pitcher Glavine in a dramatic 2-1 victory.
During his 9 years as a Blue Jays he won 116 games, had an ERA of 3.42, had a winning percentage of .589, a WHIP of 1.196, went to the All-Star game twice, had 28 complete games, and hardly walked anyone.
5th Spot - Pat Hentgen
Pat Hentgen is a Blue Jay through and through...sure he spent some time outside of the organization but the dedication that he showed to the team while is was playing and now after he has retired is unlike any other. Oh yeah and he was one hell of a pitcher at the same time....
His stats are not the greatest, but he has a number of years that were outstanding... he won 107 games, had a .557 winning percentage, 31 complete games, 9 shut outs, went to three All-Star games and who could forget won the CY Young in 1996.
I love that he is back in Jays Bullpen for this upcoming year. He'll be a pitching Coach sooner rather than later if you ask me.
Some notable others who could have made the list....David Wells, Dave Stewart, Jack Morris, David Cone, Juan Guzman & Jim Clancey.
Well there you have it, my All-Time Starting Rotation. It's pretty good if you ask me... Go Jays Go
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