Plenty of ex-Jays participating in postseason

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Less than 48 hours have passed since the Toronto Blue Jays were eliminated from postseason contention, but the sting of coming so close seems to have resided a little bit in many of the club’s fans.

Time – even one day – can put a 91-win season into better perspective.

The 2021 Blue Jays were one of their most exciting teams in franchise history. And their outstanding young core headed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) and Bo Bichette will return in 2022, along with a stellar cast of veterans, including Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer, Jose Berrios and Hyun Jin Ryu.

The future of the team looks bright.

But if you’re a Blue Jays fan who’s starting to suffer from withdrawal and you’re looking for someone to cheer for this postseason, there are plenty of ex-Jays on the 10 teams competing for the World Series trophy.

(Note: If you’re looking for a rundown of Canadians in the postseason, here’s a link to an article I wrote for the Canadian Baseball Network (A membership is required to view it.)

Here’s a rundown of the ex-Jays in this year’s post-season:

Boston Red Sox

Travis Shaw, infielder – Hit .239 with six home runs in 50 games for the Blue Jays in 2020.

Dave Bush, pitching coach – Posted a 4.29 ERA in 42 appearances, including 40 starts, in parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays (2004-05, 2013.).

Tim Hyers, hitting coach – Selected as a first baseman by the Blue Jays in the 1990 MLB draft. Made it to double-A Knoxville in their organization in 1993.

New York Yankees

Gio Urshela, infielder – Hit .233 with one home run in 19 games with the Blue Jays in 2018.

Tampa Bay Rays

Oliver Drake, pitcher (on 60-day IL) – Had a 16.20 ERA in two relief appearances for the Blue Jays in 2018.

Kevin Cash, manager – Hit .173 with five home runs in 101 games in parts of three seasons as a catcher with the Blue Jays from 2002 to 2004.

Chad Mottola, hitting coach – Went 6-for-25 (.240) in 13 games in parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays (2000, 2006). Later returned to serve as Blue Jays’ hitting coach in 2013.

Chicago White Sox

Liam Hendriks, pitcher – Pitched parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays and was a key arm out of the bullpen on the 2015 division-winning squad, posting a 5-0 record and a 2.92 ERA in 58 appearances.

Ryan Tepera, pitcher – Recorded a 3.64 ERA in 216 appearances in five seasons with the Blue Jays from 2015 to 2019.

Miguel Cairo, bench coach – Made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on April 17, 1996 and would bat .222 in nine games for them that season before being traded to the Chicago Cubs.

Frank Menechino, hitting coach – Was a utility infielder for the Blue Jays in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he hit .301 with a .400 on-base percentage with nine home runs in 71 games.

Howie Clark, assistant hitting coach – Had two stints with the Blue Jays as a player (2003-04, 2006). Batted .256 with three home runs in 109 total games.

Shelley Duncan, analytics coordinator – Was Blue Jays field coordinator in 2019.

Houston Astros

Kendall Graveman, pitcher – Made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on September 5, 2014. Posted a 3.86 ERA in five appearances for them before being dealt to the Oakland A’s as part of the Josh Donaldson trade after the season.

Aledmys Diaz, infielder – Batted .263 with 18 home runs in 130 games with the Blue Jays in 2018.

National League

Atlanta Braves

Jesse Chavez, pitcher – Posted a 4.57 ERA in 39 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2016.

Travis d’Arnaud, catcher – Never played in the big leagues with Blue Jays, but was a prized catching prospect in the organization from 2010 to 2012 before being dealt to the Mets as part of the package for R.A. Dickey on December 17, 2012.

Kevin Seitzer, hitting coach – Was the hitting coach for the Blue Jays in 2014.

Sal Fasano, catching coach – The veteran catcher appeared in 16 games for Blue Jays in 2007 and batted .178.

Milwaukee Brewers

Brett Anderson, pitcher – Posted a 5.13 ERA in seven starts for the Blue Jays in 2017.

John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), pitcher (on 60-day IL) – Had a 4.41 ERA in 45 relief appearances for the Blue Jays in 2018.

Daniel Norris, pitcher – Made MLB debut with the Blue Jays on September 5, 2014. Posted a 4.20 ERA in 10 appearances with the Blue Jays before being dealt to the Tigers as part of the package for David Price on July 30, 2015.

Luke Maile, catcher (on 40-man roster, but played mostly in minors) – Batted .193 with seven home runs as a back-up catcher for the Blue Jays in 2017 and 2018.

Rowdy Tellez, first baseman/DH – Batted .241 with 37 home runs in 219 games in parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays from 2018 to 2021. He was traded to the Brewers for reliever Trevor Richards on July 6.

Daniel Vogelbach, first baseman/DH – Was 0-for-4 in two games for the Blue Jays in 2020.

St. Louis Cardinals

Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.), first-base coach – Former hitting coach and manager in Blue Jays’ minor league organization

J.A. Happ, pitcher – Won 59 games and posted a 3.88 ERA in 135 appearances in two stints and parts of six seasons with the Blue Jays.

T.J. Zeuch, pitcher (on 40-man roster, but didn’t pitch for the Cards in the majors) – Sold to the Cards by the Blue Jays on July 25 after posting a 4.59 ERA in 13 appearances over parts of three seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Phil Bickford, pitcher – Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round in 2013, but did not sign and went back into the draft.

David Price, pitcher – Was 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch for the Blue Jays in 2015.

Billy McKinney, outfielder (on 10-day injured list) – Batted .230 with 18 home runs in 122 games over parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays after coming over from the Yankees in a deal for Happ on July 26, 2018.

Clayton McCullough, first base coach – Managed in the Blue Jays’ system from 2007 to 2013, including for the Vancouver Canadians (2012-13)

San Francisco Giants

Tyler Beede, pitcher (on 60-day IL) – Originally selected by the Blue Jays in the first round in 2011, but did not sign.

Tyler Chatwood, pitcher (on 10-day IL) – Posted a 5.46 ERA in 30 relief appearances with the Blue Jays this season before being released and signed by the Giants on August 5.

Anthony DeSclafani, pitcher – Blue Jays drafted him in the sixth round in 2011.

Dominic Leone, pitcher – Posted a 2.56 ERA in 65 games out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2017 before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals with pitcher Conner Greene for OF Randal Grichuk on January 19, 2018.