"Many will remember Olerud as being a huge part of the Blue Jays' World Series contending years in 1992 and 1993. In particular, the star first baseman flirted with hitting .400 during his stellar 1993 campaign, where he ended up leading the American League in batting average (.363) and OPS (1.072) while registering 24 home runs and 107 RBIs in 158 games played."
"When Delgado eventually needed a transition to first base as the physical demands of being a catcher was affecting his ability to maximize his power and effectiveness, it inadvertently created a logjam at first. Olerud supposedly could move into the designated hitter's role, but with veteran outfielder Joe Carter already there, the preference was to keep Carter over Olerud. As a result, Olerud was forced into becoming expendable during December of 1996,"
John Olerud was a cornerstone for the Blue Jays during their early-1990s World Series runs, leading the American League in batting average (.363) and OPS (1.072) in 1993 while hitting 24 home runs with 107 RBIs in 158 games. The arrival and position shift of prospect Carlos Delgado created a first-base logjam that made Olerud expendable. The Blue Jays traded Olerud to the New York Mets in December 1996 for right-hander Robert Person, hoping to bolster the rotation. Person was eventually moved to the bullpen and produced disappointing results over a three-year tenure, making the swap lopsided and damaging to the franchise.
Read at Jays Journal
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