Toronto Blue Jays: Best all-time players by continent

Europe

Let’s start with an easy one. Only three European-born players have ever suited up for Toronto, two from England and one from Belgium.

Europe is certainly not known as a baseball hotbed, and most players from the continent moved to a more traditional baseball country at a young age.

Danny Cox would get the title as the greatest European for the Toronto Blue Jays. Born in Northampton in England, Cox played 11 seasons in the MLB and won a World Series ring with the Jays in 1993.

His career in Toronto lasted for three seasons (including the strike-shortened 1994 campaign). He had a 9-10 record out of the bullpen, with a combined 4.21 ERA.

Lance Painter (Bedford, United Kingdom) pitched a couple unimpressive seasons in Toronto and Brian Lesher (Wilrijk, Belgium) played only 24 games as a Jay – so Cox almost takes the title by default.

Russell Martin spent a couple of years during his youth in France, but in terms of born-Europeans, Cox is the best in Blue Jays history.