Willie Upshaw

Willie Upshaw took over from John Mayberry as the Toronto Blue Jays’ primary first baseman in 1982. Originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 1975, the Blue Jays acquired him through the Rule 5 draft in 1977.  He made his major league debut in 1978 and stayed on the 25 man roster as mandated by the Rule 5 rules.  He struggled in 1978 stayed in the minors for a full season before bouncing up and down ain 1980-81.  During this time, however, the Jays incumbent first baseman John Mayberry took the young Upshaw underneath his wing and mentored him in the nuances of the game.  Ironically, this led to Mayberry’s departure in 1982 to give the full time job to Upshaw. 1982 proved to be Upshaw’s coming out party as he hit 21HR and drove in 75RBI.  He improved on those numbers the following season, becoming the first Blue Jay to ever knock in 100RBI by driving in 104.  He also hit 27HR and scored 99 runs.  This translated into a tidy .887 OPS and an 11th-place finish in...