Lloyd Moseby

Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the second player overall in the 1978 free agent draft, Moseby was rushed to the majors by the talent-hungry Blue Jays faster than the development of his potential would have ordinarily warranted. A talented center fielder, he combined with Jesse Barfield and George Bell to form what was sometimes called the best outfield in baseball in the late 1980s.

In 1983 Moseby became the first Blue Jay to score 100 runs in a season, and tied teammate Damaso Garcia for a team-record (and league-leading) 21-game hitting streak. The following season, he tied with teammate Dave Collins for the AL lead in triples, and was a consistent run-producer and stolen base threat for the mid-80s Jays.

By the end of the decade, the “best outfield” was being dismantled. Barfield was traded to the Yankees, and emerging prospect Junior Felix was gradually pushing Moseby out of center. When Moseby signed with the Detroit Tigers in December 1989, he left Toronto as the Blue Jays’ career leader in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, stolen bases, strikeouts, being hit by the pitch, and sacrifice flies.

Moseby saw limited time with the Tigers for two seasons, and then traveled to Japan, where he played with the Yomiuri Giants for 1992 and 1993. He was the Blue Jays’ first base coach in 1998 and 1999.