Blue Jays Discussion: Alright, we have a manager now. So it's back to patiently waiting for Vlad Jr.

[Suntouchable13]

I'd like to rewind back to the 2015 season. What were the expectations heading into that season? Was the future bright in April 2015? To me, it was just another season of hoping maybe they can contend for a Wild Card or something. I wanted Alex to go, honestly. I was never an AA fan boy. Just because I dislike Shap, does not mean that I liked AA. I loved the moves he made later that season, but heading into the season the team was just treading water. Going nowhere, to be honest and I wanted Alex gone.

 

[The Nemesis]

With Sprague's inclusion, we apparently have what is believed to be the full list of the final 5 candidates:

1. Ed Sprague (ex-Jay, currently the Coordinator of Instruction with Oakland, formerly the head coach @ University of the Pacific for 11 yrs)
2. Joe Espada (Houston bench coach)
3. David Bell (Farm Director for San Francisco)
4. Rocco Baldelli (Major Leauge Field coordinator for Tampa Bay)
5. Brandon Hyde (Chicago Cubs bench coach)

Thank god the list doesn't include Mike Matheny.

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[OVO16]

With Sprague's inclusion, we apparently have what is believed to be the full list of the final 5 candidates:

1. Ed Sprague (ex-Jay, currently the Coordinator of Instruction with Oakland, formerly the head coach @ University of the Pacific for 11 yrs)
2. Joe Espada (Houston bench coach)
3. David Bell (Farm Director for San Francisco)
4. Rocco Baldelli (Major Leauge Field coordinator for Tampa Bay)
5. Brandon Hyde (Chicago Cubs bench coach)

Thank god the list doesn't include Mike Matheny.

Espada or Hyde seems good, considering Astros/Cubs success

 

[phillipmike]

With Sprague's inclusion, we apparently have what is believed to be the full list of the final 5 candidates:

1. Ed Sprague (ex-Jay, currently the Coordinator of Instruction with Oakland, formerly the head coach @ University of the Pacific for 11 yrs)
2. Joe Espada (Houston bench coach)
3. David Bell (Farm Director for San Francisco)
4. Rocco Baldelli (Major Leauge Field coordinator for Tampa Bay)
5. Brandon Hyde (Chicago Cubs bench coach)

Thank god the list doesn't include Mike Matheny.

Let's say when this process started i would have expected zero of these guys to be in our final 5. Interesting list.

All seem like candidates coming from strong baseball organizations which is a plus. Three from WS winners and 2 others from small market teams that think outside of the box and try to squeeze the most out of very little.

 

[phillipmike]

Price leads the Red Sox to the WS. Who would have thought that a week ago.

 

[Anthrax442]

Coordinator of Instruction sounds like a made up position

 

[AllDay28]

atta boy Price. miss him

 

[Discoverer]

Espada or Hyde seems good, considering Astros/Cubs success

This seems to apply to all of them: Sprague in Oakland, Baldelli in Tampa Bay, Bell in San Francisco (and previously the Cards and Cubs).

I like any of those picks, really.

 

[phillipmike]

Espada was the Yankees 3B coach from 2015-17 so there is some work in the AL East that can be valuable. Plus he was a coach for the Puerto Rican Baseball team in 2013 and 2017 and another coach was Carlos Delgado, would be a nice hitting coach candidate for the Jays.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Is the rest of Gibbons' coaching staff expected to stay, or are they waiting to hire the new manager before making any changes? I hope they keep Hale, provided he isn't offered a manager's position elsewhere.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

Job Posting: Blue Jays Baseball Research Analyst | FanGraphs Baseball

The Blue Jays are hiring.

 

[selltrade]

Job Posting: Blue Jays Baseball Research Analyst | FanGraphs Baseball

The Blue Jays are hiring.

Perfect for Zeke I know all

 

[Animal]

Its funny, I work at a restaurant and Bob Elliott is a regular, served him last night. Anyone want me to ask him anything specific? haha

 

[Brown Dog]

Coordinator of Instruction sounds like a made up position

First Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.

 

[Brown Dog]

Just out of curiosity, why do the Jays never hire veteran managers? I seem to recall that in the 40-year history of the team they've only hired one guy (Fregosi) who had MLB managerial experience outside the organization.

Not to say that some of those hires weren't good choices (although lots weren't). Just seems like an odd organizational philosophy.

And again, all the candidates this time around would be first-time big league skippers.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Is the rest of Gibbons' coaching staff expected to stay, or are they waiting to hire the new manager before making any changes? I hope they keep Hale, provided he isn't offered a manager's position elsewhere.

Blue Jays' coaching staff free to speak with other teams - Sportsnet.ca

TAMPA, Fla. – The Toronto Blue Jays’ coaches have been given permission to speak with other teams after being informed by GM Ross Atkins they’ll be considered for 2019 jobs, but that the next staff will be built with input from John Gibbons’s replacement as manager.

Atkins delivered the news on Friday – just two days after the club announced that Gibbons won’t be back next year – during a series of meetings with each member of a group that’s been together the past four years, although some have been with the organization far longer.

Like Gibbons, all are under contract for 2019 but are free to seek work elsewhere.

It’s possible that some could be back next year, but typically new managers are allowed to select a handful of their coaches – the bench coach is often a confidant – while other roles are collectively assigned with the front office.

 

[Amadeus]

With Sprague's inclusion, we apparently have what is believed to be the full list of the final 5 candidates:

1. Ed Sprague (ex-Jay, currently the Coordinator of Instruction with Oakland, formerly the head coach @ University of the Pacific for 11 yrs)
2. Joe Espada (Houston bench coach)
3. David Bell (Farm Director for San Francisco)
4. Rocco Baldelli (Major Leauge Field coordinator for Tampa Bay)
5. Brandon Hyde (Chicago Cubs bench coach)

Thank god the list doesn't include Mike Matheny.

I would have bet on Schneider to be our next manager considering his familiarity with our prospects, but it looks like they're going out of the organization.

I have absolutely no input on any of these candidates.

 

[The Nemesis]

Just out of curiosity, why do the Jays never hire veteran managers? I seem to recall that in the 40-year history of the team they've only hired one guy (Fregosi) who had MLB managerial experience outside the organization.

Not to say that some of those hires weren't good choices (although lots weren't). Just seems like an odd organizational philosophy.

And again, all the candidates this time around would be first-time big league skippers.

It's not really fair to talk organizational philosophy across the entirety of the org history given that there's not going to be a single person involved in every single hiring or charting of the team's direction.

I'm fine with it because a lot of managerial retreads can suck just as much as new hires. And because managerial success is driven by the team behind them as much (or probably a lot more) than the other way around.

Take, for example, the final 4 teams in this year's playoffs. 3 of the 4 orgs' managers were rookie hires. Only AJ Hinch had managed another club before (well, Dave Roberts had 1 game of experience as the Padres manager, but that was as an emergency fill-in, not as a hired manager). This year's playoffs were actually split 5/5 in terms of teams with veteran managers (Oakland, Houston, Cleveland, Chicago Cubs, Colorado) and teams who hired rookie managers (New York Yankees, Boston, LA Dodgers, Milwaukee, Atlanta)

And with Houston eliminated, the World Series will be contested by a pair managers still on the first teams of their careers.

 

[Brown Dog]

It's not really fair to talk organizational philosophy across the entirety of the org history given that there's not going to be a single person involved in every single hiring or charting of the team's direction.

I'm fine with it because a lot of managerial retreads can suck just as much as new hires. And because managerial success is driven by the team behind them as much (or probably a lot more) than the other way around.

Take, for example, the final 4 teams in this year's playoffs. 3 of the 4 orgs' managers were rookie hires. Only AJ Hinch had managed another club before (well, Dave Roberts had 1 game of experience as the Padres manager, but that was as an emergency fill-in, not as a hired manager). This year's playoffs were actually split 5/5 in terms of teams with veteran managers (Oakland, Houston, Cleveland, Chicago Cubs, Colorado) and teams who hired rookie managers (New York Yankees, Boston, LA Dodgers, Milwaukee, Atlanta)

And with Houston eliminated, the World Series will be contested by a pair managers still on the first teams of their careers.

I hear you. Still seems odd that we never go for a guy with big league experience. Especially when it's a market that could be seen as not a baseball town to begin with. Seems like hiring a familiar name would be an easy (lazy?) way to give Toronto--with its outmoded turf dome and north of the 49th address--some instant street cred.

 

[Eyedea]

I hear you. Still seems odd that we never go for a guy with big league experience. Especially when it's a market that could be seen as not a baseball town to begin with. Seems like hiring a familiar name would be an easy (lazy?) way to give Toronto--with its outmoded turf dome and north of the 49th address--some instant street cred.

On the flip side, there aren’t many (good) vet, Spanish-speaking managers walking around. Having someone able to address the vast majority of the players on a club without the need to use translators is at the very least an enticing and efficient method of management. Which is why Espada may be the top candidate.

 

[kb]

Just out of curiosity, why do the Jays never hire veteran managers? I seem to recall that in the 40-year history of the team they've only hired one guy (Fregosi) who had MLB managerial experience outside the organization.

Not to say that some of those hires weren't good choices (although lots weren't). Just seems like an odd organizational philosophy.

And again, all the candidates this time around would be first-time big league skippers.

Bobby Cox?

 

[dredeye]

Job Posting: Blue Jays Baseball Research Analyst | FanGraphs Baseball

The Blue Jays are hiring.

I AM zero percent qualified for that role but man the role itself sounds pretty great

 

[phillipmike]

David Bell to the Reds.
Brad Ausmus to the Angels.

Leaving the Jays, Rangers, Twins, and O’s with vacancies. O’s don’t have a GM so I doubt they will be hiring a manager anytime soon.

Everyone except the O’s have interviewed Hyde, Baldelli and Espada. Espada withdrew from the Twins job so if Espada wants to be a MLB manager next season it will be the Rangers or Jays.

I think Espada is the Jays #1 target. With Baldelli and Hyde good consolation prizes.

Could be wrong but I think we are getting a clearer picture of who the manager might be and should be soon.

 

[heatersthebest]

One thing that I could never wrap my head around, in regards to the Spanish speaking manager, and I hate to bring everything back around to hockey, but why is that never a consideration in the NHL. I guess the one position that there is the want for another language is the Canadiens Head Coach, but never for player purposes. Every player either learns English or is already speaking it when they get to the NHL, i.e. Dahlin (before), Yakupov (playing in the OHL), and Tarasenko (during). Why is there hesitation when it comes to Spanish speaking or Latin American baseball players? Vlad was born here, grew up a little here, and has been in the Jays system (English speaking leagues) for 3 full seasons.