The Team: Toronto Blue Jays
The Year: 2028
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W/L Record: 121-41
Run Differential: 949 RS vs. 543 RA +406 Runs
Awards: AL RBI Leader: Sean Vogel (144), AL Win Leader: Corey Bosworth (23), AL Cy Young Award: Corey Bosworth, AL MVP: Sean Vogel, Gold Glove: Alejandro Castilla (P), Mike Vanner (1B), Sean Vogel (3B), Jorge Vasquez (CF)
All Stars: 3B Sean Vogel, SP Corey Bosworth, SP Alejandro Castilla, SP Fernando Ontario, SP Boris Turner, 1B Chris Munroe
League Leading Stat Categories: 56 Road Wins, 3.39 Team Bullpen ERA, 16 Complete Games, 3.09 Team ERA, 65 Home Wins, 949 Runs Scored, .465 Team Slugging Percentage
Lineup/Bench Rotation/Bullpen
CF Jorge Vasquez Corey Bosworth
LF Philip MacGruer Alejandro Castilla
3B Sean Vogel , Boris Turner
DH Chris Munroe Fernando Ontario
LF Adam Witton Nathaniel Wolfson
SS Jon Vanmeter CL Gary Kirsopp 1B Mike Vanner SU Lucas McCullar
C Mike Artis SR Efrain Luquis
2B Jerry Olona SR Giovanni Fontela
MR Paul Fibbin
LR Brian Duff
OF Walter Deborah
C Jed McQueen
OF Leif Weber
IF Shuja Nakamura
IF Josh Diamond
The Key Players: It's only fair that the top spot in this list gets to open with the best hitter in FCM history: Sean Vogel. Let's talk about the accomplishments of this man: 2700 hits (5th in FCM history), the only man in the history of FCM to hit over 600 home runs (10th all time in all of baseball history), 1608 runs scored (4th all time in FCM history), the only man to record 2000 RBI in his career in FCM history (4th all time in all of baseball history), 1312 extra base hits (8th in MLB history), a .586 slugging percentage (9th all time in MLB history), he holds 4 of the top 10 RBI seasons in FCM, 14 all-star appearances, 5 gold gloves, 5 MVP awards, 7 playoff round MVPs, and lead the way to 5 World Championships. When it comes to credentials the man is basically without equal in our history.
2028 wouldn't go down as Vogel's claim to fame, but he was the centerpiece of a very good offense that was the best in baseball that year despite losing nearly a thousand at-bats from starters throughout the season. That same offense lead the way to the best record in FCM history - 121-41 - and Vogel was the man in the middle of it. At this point in his career the switch hitting stud was still playing 3B for the Jays and on his way to a gold glove season in the field. At the plate he had 117 runs, 42 doubles, 5 triples, 38 home runs, 144 RBI, 87 walks to 112 strikeouts, and a slash line of .314/.388/.594 for a .982 OPS.
He also hit 2 home runs, drove in 6, and had a 1.148 OPS in an ALDS loss to the Angels. Scarily, his career in the postseason was enough to be an entire season on to itself. He had 691 career postseason at-bats in which he added another 112 runs, 46 doubles, 5 triples, 58 home runs, 168 RBI, and a .956 OPS. He wasn't able to carry the team any further in 2028 and the title escaped them that year, but he managed many other successful runs on his way to a HOF career.
Now that the Vogel Memorial is done, let's be clear about why this team is the best: the Toronto Blue Jays are the most decorated franchise in our league and that dominance spanned four decades. To do that requires several waves of talent to come and go and 2028 was about the perfect nexus of an outgoing bunch of stars for the franchise and the incoming wave that was destined to lead the team. Vogel, at 25, was part of that new wave that brought with him Philip "P-Mac" MacGruer, Chris Munroe, Mike Artis, Alejandro Castilla, and Fernando Ontario. That wave joined old hands Corey Bosworth, Jorge Vasquez, John Vanmeter, and Mike Vanner. Together, they achieved that memorable 121 seasons and it was essentially the high point of the Blue Jay franchise.
So let's talk about the rest of the lineup, leading off was former international free agent Jorge Vasquez. Despite an absolutely amazing career, he never found much of a permanent home. Toronto, however, was where he spent his best years. In his HOF career, Vasquez managed over 3000 hits, 900 RBI, 1800 runs, and the only man in league history to steal 1000 bases. The man was also an elite defender for much of his career and basically the ideal lead-off hitter. In 2028 he scored 131 runs, had 207 hits, 36 doubles, 17 triples, 3 home runs, 59 RBI, stole 57 bases in 66 attempts, and slashed .310/.355/.429 for a .784 OPS.
Backing him up was young gun Philip "P-Mac" MacGruer who was in his first full season in the league and showed early on that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with. He unfortunately had what was likely to be a ROTY campaign cut short by an August back injury, but prior to that he played 110 games with 90 runs scored, 25 doubles, 8 triples, 7 home runs, 49 RBI, 34 walks to 64 strikeouts, and stole 54 bases in 56 attempts. He also slashed .307/.362/.439 for an .801 OPS, an impressive effort for a young player. His loss going into the postseason was a huge blow for the team.
Another young gun that was important for the team was DH Chris Munroe. Munroe was the first pick by the Jays in the 2023 draft, a draft they also landed Sean Vogel, Jon Vanmeter, and Lucas McCullar. The lefty slugger was basically Vogel's wing-man for the length of his career and a critical piece of protection in the Toronto lineup for a long time. Munroe holds the most career homeruns for any player not elected to the HOF at 427. He also 400 career doubles, 1250 RBIs, 1200 walks to 1450 strikeouts, and a career .881 OPS. He was also only a DH his entire career, but he was a damn good one. In 2028 he had 85 runs scored, 37 doubles, 2 triples, 35 home runs, 105 RBI, 108 walks to 88 strikeouts, and slashed .289/404/576 for a .980 OPS.
Next up in the lineup was a new addition to the Toronto lineup, having been acquired from Oakland for a pile of draft picks: RF Adam Witton. Combined between Oakland and Toronto, Witton had 94 runs scored, 20 doubles, 35 home runs, 107 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and he slashed 246/301/479 for a .780 OPS.
Behind him was the veteran shortstop John Vanmeter, who was coming off a ridiculous 2027 campaign in which he was robbed of the MVP award. (124 runs, 36 home runs, 144 RBI, 43 steals, gold glove SS defense) His 2028 was a step backward from that effort, but he was still very good for the team. While once again giving them a great glove at short, he also scored 101 times, hit 35 doubles, 12 triples, 18 home runs, drove in 109, stole 37 bases in 39 tries, and slashed .236/288/433 for a .721 OPS.
Next up in the lineup was the last of our Vs (Vogel, Vasquez, Vanmeter, and now Vanner) was converted catcher Mike Vanner. Vanner had switched over to first base years before and instantly became one of the best in the league defensively. Adding to that was a pretty steady contribution of 25+ HR and 100+ RBI every year. In 2028 he scored 82 runs, hit 20 doubles, 3 triples, 26 home runs, drove in 88 runs, and slashed .255/321/436 for a .757 OPS. Again, pretty damn good production for the bottom half of the order.
The man that moved Vanner to 1B was catcher Mike Artis. He had a pretty solid 31% CS rating in his first full season but he began to show more glimpses of what he'd bring to the table with his bat. He had only 400 at-bats but scored 58 runs, hit 26 doubles, 3 triples, 18 home runs, drove in 50, and slashed .249/319/458 for a .777 OPS. He split some time with backup Jed McQueen who was more known for his defensive abilities but was a pretty good OBP player for most of his career.
Lastly in the starting lineup was 2B Jory Olona. His claim to fame was elite defense at 2B and while he wasn't part of the Toronto dynasty for long, his contributions in 2028 were very important. Along with Gold Glove caliber defense he scored 60 times, hit 19 doubles, 2 triples, 19 home runs, drove in 55 and had an .801 OPS.
On the bench were solid OF contributors Leif Weber and Walter Deborah. Weber ended up taking over for P-Mac when he got hurt and did well for the team. Infielders Josh Diamond and Shuja Nakamura also had some reps at 2B at various times throughout the year and were also solid players for the team.
So that makes three future hall of fame hitters (and one near miss in Munroe) and that isn't even the end of thee hall of fame talent on this team. That's right - the pitching staff had three future hall of famers in the rotation and two near miss hall of famers as well.
Leading that bunch was the wiley veteran Corey Bosworth. The Boz was his usual work-horse self for the team, pitching 205 innings with a 2.50 ERA, 160 strikeouts, and a crazy 23-6 record. He pitched 3 complete games with 2 shutouts, allowed only 48 walks, and 14 home runs. At 36 years old his distinguished career as the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays was coming to a close, but his presence allowed the team to usher in two young studs that would become staples of the team for many years in the future.
The first of those was Alejandro Castilla, who had been with the team a few years prior to 2028, but it may have been his finest season of his career. He went 22-3 with a 3.18 ERA and a 34-191 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His 4 complete games and 3 shutouts lead the league as well and had 235 innings for the club in 2028.
Joining him was youngster Fernando Ontario in just his third season. One of the best pitchers in the file's history, he had an outstanding season for the Jays. He pitched 175 innings with a 2.67 ERA and a 12-7 record. 2027 was something of a coming out party for him after being acquired from the Cleveland Indians but 2028 was another step towards his ascendance to the top of the rotation. Having Ontario, Boz, and Castilla in the same rotation was something that didn't last long for the Blue Jays, but it's hard to argue there were any three more successful pitchers to ever occupy the same staff. All three were eventual HOF players and all three could make a case to be in the Top Ten of all-time starters for the league. Much like the lineup was a blend of old school and new school for this franchise, so was the rotation with these three.
Supporting them was wiley veteran Boris Turner who had been acquired in the offseason and spent only a season with the Blue Jays. His one season, however, was quite successful. He pitched 186 innings with a 2.75 ERA and a 15-4 record. Turner was a fringe HOF player that won a Cy Young in 2023 and managed to go to 8 all-star games and win 200 games. The last member of the rotation was a combination of veteran Justin Tincher and rookie Nathaniel Wolfson. The Wolf was a prized prospect in Toronto but eventually he flamed out early and never lived up to his potential. But combined the two of them pitched 182 innings with an ERA of about 3.50 and a 12-6 record.
The bullpen was backended by another fringe HOF player. Gary Kirsopp was a former third round pick that the Jays acquired for an aging (and expendable) Chris Coghlan. Kirsopp came up initially as a setup man with the team but took over the closer's role as the Jays went to a philosophy of using guys early in their career and either trading them for high value or releasing them for high value compensation. Kirsopp eventually amassed 430 saves in his career and made a number of close runs to the HOF before being eliminated from the ballot. In 2028 he pitched 52 innings with 51 strikeouts, a 4-1 record, a 2.44 ERA, and 30 saves in 32 chances.
His wingman in the setup role was one of my personal favorites - Lucas McCullar. McCullar was a home-grown third rounder who pitched successfully for many years in the league, in 2028 he went 88 innings with a 2.97 ERA and an 8-2 record. He also recorded 10 saves for the team while Kirsopp was injured.
Two other home-grown talents took the short relief roles. Efrain Luquis pitched 59 innings with a 3.64 ERA and a 5-4 record with 3 saves. Giovanni Fontela pitched 82 innings with a 3.94 ERA and a 4-3 record with 7 saves.
Rounding out the staff was lefty Paul Fibbin who pitched 46 innings with a 4.73 ERA and a 3-0 record. Mopping up was Brian "Duffman" Duff who had pitched 111 innings for the team with a 3.09 ERA and a 9-3 record.
Interview with the Owner: Sprinkled Throughout
What Sets Them Apart: Half this roster was drafted and developed by the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a blend of one of the dominant teams of the early 2020s with a talent group that would go on to dominate the league for more than a decade. This group won the AL East 20 out of 21 seasons over a stretch spanning these talent groups. A group that won 7 World Series. They would win 21 major awards (Cy, MVP, ROTY). They recorded the most wins in the history of the league. They were built around the greatest hitter in league history. They had 6 hall of fame players in the lineup and rotation and several guys who almost made it. Might there be some favoritism? Maybe, but I don't toot my own horn too often and it's hard not to look at this bunch and think "damn". Top to bottom this team was damn good - this is the spot that only they can occupy.
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