by TORONTO — Seen from the outside, the attack seemed almost inevitable. How could the Blue Jays No hire John Schneider, the baseball player who led the Blue Jays to a 46-28 record after taking over as interim manager in July? Why wouldn’t they just lock him up?
Well, the Blue Jays being the Blue Jays, they wanted to be as thorough as possible, especially in a decision of such importance. So, in the two weeks after the Blue Jays were eliminated from the playoffs, they tried to test their relationship with John Schneider. Were they aligned on what mattered most? Analytics, for example. Or the ideal structure of a coaching staff. Decision making in the game.
In the end, the answer was ‘yes’ and on Thursday Schneider signed the contract that made it official: he is the 14th coach in franchise history. After 20 seasons in the Blue Jays organization, the 42-year-old Schneider completed the transition from minor league catcher to major league coach and manager.
“I love being close to the game. I love understanding people within the game, and I think that sparked my interest in the coaching aspect and trying to help others,” said Schneider. “So it made sense to turn the page (of playing) and evolve along the way. I learned a lot.”
More important for the Blue Jays: what happens next? On that front, we learned a lot over the course of the three months Schneider managed. If those 76 games are any indication, here’s what we can expect from the Blue Jays’ bench manager in 2023…
EFFORT ON THE EGOS
On September 27, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. admired a potential home run only to see the ball stay in the park. He tried to make up for his slow start by pushing for second place, where he was sent off. Subsequently, Schneider’s response was forceful.
“Vladdy needs to run harder,” he said. “That is unforgivable.”
With the loss still fresh, Schneider added that mistakes are part of the game. He followed up on a conversation with Guerrero Jr., and the issue didn’t come up again in 2022. But at that point, we knew Schneider won’t hesitate to point out the flaws in the effort when appropriate, regardless of the stature of the players involved.
At the same time, Schneider makes it clear that part of his job is to understand the challenges players face when competing against the best in the world while facing significant pressure every night. As long as the effort is there, he expects Schneider to cover the backs of his players.
“Understanding how difficult the game is and how good the players are, have empathy for them and understand that mistakes are going to happen,” Schneider said Friday. “Having empathy for the difficulty of the game, understanding the person, not just the player, I think is great. Always keeping them in front of what you’re trying to do.”
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PRODUCTION ON PEDIGREE
Speaking of stars, let’s go back to Aug. 16, the first, and it would turn out to be the only, time Bo Bichette hit seventh in 2022. At the time, Bichette was hitting a modest .260 with a .731 OPS. And it’s not like the Blue Jays placed him in seventh place as a punitive measure. They simply believed that the six hitters in front of him — George Springer, Guerrero Jr., Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Matt Chapman and Teoscar Hernandez — were better options that day.
Now, could an equally compelling case be made for keeping Bichette higher? Of course. We’re talking about the player who has led the American League in consecutive hitting seasons. But the point here is not to re-litigate that debate. It is simply pointing out that Schneider seems willing to respond to what he sees, rather than give in to what is expected or has always been done.
PUSHING WAITING
Even now, when analytics are at the forefront of everything in baseball, there’s no easy way to track hit-and-run attempts (How is that possible in 2022? But I digress…). Anecdotally, though, Schneider attempted more punches and runs than his predecessor, Charlie Montoyo.
And this we can definitely quantify: The Blue Jays stole fewer bases (33) in 88 games under Montoyo than they did (34) in 74 games under Schneider. That doesn’t mean the 2023 Blue Jays will look like the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals (not necessary when you have that much power). But it does show a willingness to put pressure on other teams.
PRESUMPTION PREPARATION
On October 6, the Blue Jays spent much of their pre-playoff training day doing fielding and pitching pickoff drills. It wasn’t exciting and, it should be noted, it didn’t ultimately lead to the result the Blue Jays wanted, but there was no mistaking Schneider’s enthusiasm as he mingled with the players and coaches on the eve of the playoffs.
“This (stuff) matters,” he exclaimed with a smile as some spectators watched the training.
Clearly, there is a belief that working on the little things pays off when it matters most. In a few months, that job will begin again when Schneider makes his first major league spring training. In the meantime, he’ll get some rest and work with general manager Ross Atkins to finalize the team’s coaching staff for 2023.
Everything sounds ideal, right? Well, I probably should on the day a new manager is officially hired. Otherwise there would be a problem. Ultimately, the biggest tests are yet to come, and it’s how Schneider responds to them that will determine his legacy with the Blue Jays.
After deliberations, the Blue Jays and Schneider are thinking long-term.
Blue Jays notebook: Gurriel’s surgery, Springer’s recovery and next season’s coaches
