Toronto Blue Jays - The First Years (1977-1979)
 
   
 
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                  Yr P W L                         Decade  
                  1977 7 54 107                         Click  
                  1978 7 59 102                         on Logo  
                  1979 7 53 109                            
                                                     
                                                       
                                                             
   
  Titles: Top Blue Jays Players of the Seventies  
  None  
    Pitchers:  
  Ballpark: Dave Lemanczyk (3.59) -   15   
  Exhibition Stadium (1977-1979) Tom Underwood (5.11) -   11  
    Jesse Jefferson (3.87) -   10  
  Team Name: Jerry Garvin (3.66) -   7  
  Blue Jays Victor Cruz (2.75) -   6  
  Jim Clancy (2.49) -   6  
  Owner:  Dave Stieb (1.42) -    4  
  Consortium of Corporations (LaBatt, Imperial Trust, Imperial Bank) Pete Vuckovich (2.9) -   3  
     
  General Managers: Catchers:  
  Peter Bavasi (1977) Rick Cerone (0.22) -   9  
  Pat Gillick (1978-1979) Alan Ashby (1.98) -   7  
       
  Managers: First Basemen:  
  Roy Hartsfield (1977-1979) John Mayberry (1.21) -    8  
    Ron Fairly (2.35) -   6  
  Hall of Famers:    
   None Second Basemen:  
    Dave McKay (-2) -   3  
  Rookie of the Year:  Danny Ainge (0.6) -   0  
  Alfredo Griffin (1979)    
    ShortStop:  
e MVP Alfredo Griffin (2.52) -    8  
  None    
    Third Base:  
  No Hitters: Roy Howell (7.1) -    17  
  None Doug Rader (1.28) -   4  
       
  Cy Young: Outfield:  
  None Rick Bosetti (2.75) -    13  
    Rico Carty (1.56) -    12  
  Notable Events: Otto Velez (6.88) -   12   
    Bob Bailor (3.07) -    9  
   1977 - Four corporations, led by LaBatt Breweries and Imperial Canadian Alvis Woods (0.45) -   5   
   Bank purchase  the expansion Toronto franchise from the Major Leagues.    
   The American League needed to expand due to a law suit brought against  Notable Events:  
   the league by the city of Seattle. To avoid an uneven number of teams,     
  two were being added. Toronto, who had come thisclose to getting the San   1978 - 1979 Pat Gillick becomes General Manager. He architects the excellent  
   Francisco Giants moving in the previous year was an obvious choice once  Blue Jay teams of the mid eighties thru the mid nineties in his seventeen year   
   the Giants deal fell thru.  tenure. Gillick had been involved in player development early in his career   
    with Houston and the Yankees. Before that, he was a minor league pitcher in   
   1977 - The Blue Jays play in Exhibition Stadium, a mulitpurpose stadium  the Oriole and Pirate organizations. He is one of the best GM's of his era and  
  on Lake Ontario in Toronto. It's not a great baseball venue, but it's Toronto's   the Blue Jay's made a great hire in getting him. Here's how Gillick went about  
   own pride and joy and it makes do until a suitable baseball stadium with a   starting to build a contender without an ownership group with deep pockets  
  much needed dome is built. The city spent a substantial sum upgrading   in the Seventies:  
  the stadium in anticipation of getting a major league club, but, without a     
   dome, that was essentially a stopgap solution.  □ 1978 - CF Lloyd Moseby, 18, is the 2nd overall pick of the amateur draft,  
     debut in 1980  
  1977 - Peter Bavasi, in his only year as GM, makes a couple of nice  □ 1978 - RHP Dave Stieb, 20, picked in 5th round of amateur draft, debut 1979      
  selections in the  expansion draft: □ 1978 - 1B Willie Upshaw. 21, selected from Yankees in rule 5 draft, debut 1978    
  □  1977 - RHP Jim Clancy, 21, 6th pick of expansion draft from Texas, □ 1979 - SS Alfredo Griffin, 21, is stolen from Cleveland in a three player deal  
    debut 1977    □ 1979 - SS Tony Fernandez, 17, signed as an IFA, debuted in 1983  
  □  1977 - C Ernie Whitt, 25, 34th pick in Expansion draft from Boston   □ 1979 - RHP Luis Leal, 22, signed as IFA, debut in 1980    
    □ 1979 - RF Jesse Barfield, 19, selected in ninth round of amateur draft,   
    debuted in 1981