Previewing Blue Jays' Dream Bracket 2 teams

May 20th, 2020

TORONTO -- Blue Jays fans have long debated their own ranking of the greatest teams in club history, from the World Series championship squads in the early 1990s to the playoff teams of the '80s and 2010s. Let’s take that one step further.

Beginning Thursday, two historic Blue Jays teams will join the 64-team MLB Dream Bracket 2, a simulation tournament run through Out of the Park Baseball 21. This tournament will feature two teams from each of the 30 Major League clubs, along with three Negro Leagues teams and the 1994 Montreal Expos.

The 1993 Blue Jays will represent the World Series years, while the '85 Blue Jays get another chance to finish what they started.

The MLB Dream Bracket 2 features four regions, with teams facing off in best-of-seven series simulations. Here’s how the Blue Jays line up:

1993 Blue Jays
The World Series champs finished the regular season 95-67 before winning their second consecutive title. Joe Carter’s “Touch ‘em all” home run lives on as the famous moment from that season, but that team had plenty of players capable of taking over a game.

John Olerud (.363) led the American League in batting average after making a run at .400 late in the season, while Paul Molitor (.332) and Roberto Alomar (.326) finished second and third in the AL.

They’ll open against the 1995 Indians, a star-studded team that won 100 games and fell just short in the World Series against the Braves.

1985 Blue Jays
Arguably the best Blue Jays team to not win the World Series, this squad won 99 games and finished atop the AL East, but lost in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series to the Royals.

The 1985 team featured a 23-year-old Tony Fernández stepping into stardom alongside the classic outfield of George Bell, Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby. On the mound, the great Dave Stieb was at his best that season, posting a 2.48 ERA over 265 innings. Jimmy Key, Jim Clancy and Doyle Alexander helped to round out a formidable rotation that season, and Tom Henke was dominant out of the bullpen.

The team will open against the 1931 Homestead Grays, the famed Negro Leagues team that is considered to be among the best of all time. The Grays featured future Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Willie Foster and Jud Wilson.