Toronto Blue Jays: It’s time to retire Dave Stieb’s number

The Toronto Blue Jays have played 45 seasons in Major League Baseball, been to the playoffs eight times, and won two World Series (in a row). However, they only have two retired uniform numbers.

It’s time that they retired their third: Dave Stieb‘s number 37.

Dave Stieb should have his number retired by the Toronto Blue Jays

Dave Stieb was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the 1980s and he played for the Toronto Blue Jays for parts of 15 seasons. Stieb, who was known for his devastating slider, was the ace for the Blue Jays in the 1980s, and in the 80s, he won 140 games, which is only second to Hall of Famer (and Stieb’s 1992 Blue Jays teammate) Jack Morris.

The Blue Jays went to the playoffs four times while he was a Blue Jay and, by WAR, he is the best player in their franchise history.

The only two players that have their uniform number retired by the Blue Jays are the late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay (#34) and Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar (#12). However, Halladay played 12 years with Toronto and Alomar just five. Stieb played in parts of 15 seasons with the Blue Jays from 1979 through 1992 and again in 1998.

From 1980 through 1990, Stieb went 158-115 with an average of 33 starts per season, 231 innings pitched, a 3.29 ERA, a 127 ERA+, seven All-Star Game selections, and four top seven AL Cy Young award finishes.

Most notably, he threw a no-hitter against Cleveland on September 2, 1990. That came after he threw six one-hitters since the start of the 1988 season, including two in back-to-back starts in September 1988. He also lost four no-hitters in the ninth inning.

After that, Stieb wasn’t the same due to injuries but in that 10-year span, he was a borderline Hall of Famer as he had an rWAR of 54.0 in those 10 seasons and an rWAR of 56.4 overall. For comparison, that is higher than Hall of Fame pitchers Mariano Rivera, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt, Al Spalding, Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax, Early Wynn, Jack Morris, and many others.

All of this got him honored with the Blue Jays in their “Level of Excellence” but his number #37 has been issued numerous times since he last played with the Blue Jays in 1998.

Currently, Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández wears #37 but the Blue Jays still could easily retire his number. When he was with Houston, Hernández wore #35 so he could switch numbers and David Phelps (who wears #35 currently) could switch too.

Stieb has already been in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame since 2005 so it’s time that the Blue Jays retire his number and honor the best and most tenured player in their franchise history.