Today is Ed Sprague’s 59th birthday, a good moment to look back at a Blue Jays career that mixed steady production, one huge peak, and a few unforgettable swings.
Sprague spent eight seasons in Toronto, arriving in 1991 and staying until the club dealt him to the Oakland Athletics on July 31, 1998. The Blue Jays got Scott Rivette back in that trade, and Rivette never made it to the major leagues.
In a Toronto uniform, Sprague put up a .245 batting average, a .315 on-base percentage, and a .419 slugging percentage. He also hit 113 home runs and drove in 418 runs across 888 games.
He was never the kind of player who carried a lineup for years, but he did have one season that jumped off the page. Like Kelly Gruber before him, Sprague produced a single year that towered over the rest of his resume, though Gruber brought more value with the glove.
Sprague’s best stretch came in 1996, when he set career highs in runs (88), hits (146), home runs (36), RBIs (101), walks (60), and slugging percentage (.496). It remains one of the strongest individual seasons ever turned in by a Blue Jays third baseman, even if it was an outlier in his career.
That year also came during a period when Roger Clemens’ “ trainer” was around the team.
Sprague later admitted to using steroids, along with amphetamines, which were commonly used by players at the time to fight the grind of a long season. Red Bull wasn’t around then, and amphetamines weren’t banned in baseball until 2006.
For all the numbers, though, one moment still defines him for a lot of Blue Jays fans. In Game 2 of the 1992 World Series, Sprague stepped in and hammered a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning off Atlanta closer Jeff Reardon.
For a full year, it was the biggest home run in Blue Jays history, until Joe Carter’s walk-off in 1993. Without that blast, Toronto could have been staring at a 2-0 deficit in the series.
After Toronto, Sprague’s career stayed solid but never quite reached that same height again. He made the National League All-Star team in 1999 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he hit .267/.352/.465 with 22 home runs. He also spent time with San Diego, Boston, returned to San Diego, and wrapped up his playing days in Seattle.
Across 11 major league seasons, Sprague finished with 152 home runs and a .247/.318/.419 career slash line.
Baseball was in the family, too. His father, also named Ed, pitched in the majors for eight seasons. His wife, Kristen Babb-Sprague, won Olympic gold in synchronized swimming.
These days, Ed Sprague Jr. serves as the Director of Player Development for the Oakland Athletics, and he was at the celebration for the World Series winning teams last week.
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