John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Blue Jays Hoping John Schneider Can Help Team Overcome 'Collective Setback'
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins isn't upset with the individuals, but he's disappointed with the sum of Toronto's parts.
The Blue Jays entered the 2022 season near the top of World Series odds. They now approach the All-Star break four games over .500, 15 back of the division lead, and hovering on the brink of a playoff spot.
"I think we are better than how we've played," Atkins said. "There's a lot of good individual things happening and I think we can be playing better as a team."
Falling short of lofty expectations, Atkins and Toronto made a change—out with Charlie Montoyo at manager and in with John Schneider, along with an interim tag and a new bench coach. It was a "difficult decision," Atkins said, but a move he felt was needed to overcome the "collective setback" that defines Toronto's season so far.
"We're not playing to our potential," Atkins said. "And I see some small opportunities to help that, and this was one of them."
With Montoyo, the Blue Jays had comfort. He's been the manager for the last three-plus seasons, and someone Atkins has a "very deep bond," with, the GM said. Montoyo was the guy that captained the rebuild, oversaw the top prospect debuts, led Toronto to the 2020 playoffs, and almost turned a COVID-tainted 2021 into another postseason appearance.
With Schneider, they have much of the same. He's been here for all that. He has a familiarity with the organization and has managed this young core up through the minors. Schneider, like Montoyo, has palpable positivity and has been around the game of baseball for decades. He may not be radically different from his predecessor, but Schneider is now the man tasked with instituting change, or at the very least improvement.
"I believe in [Montoyo], still, as a baseball leader," Atkins said. "But felt this change is necessary."
Schneider has been in and around the Blue Jays for 20 years. He was drafted by the organization in the 13th round of the 2002 draft, played six seasons in Toronto's minors, and converted to coaching in 2008. When his playing days ended, Schneider hoped to be where he sat on Wednesday—sweating under the bright press conference lights, being introduced as a big league skipper. It wasn't under the circumstances he hoped for, replacing the manager he coached under, but it was a long-time focus finally realized.
Like many of the team's top prospects, Schneider moved as manager from Single to Double A during the rebuilding years and received his MLB promotion in 2019. Along his coaching journey, he's learned to become more patient, he said, but his defining strategies aren't too different from Montoyo's.
"I like to be aggressive, I like having fun," Schneider said. "I always think that when the guys are comfortable, that's the best version of the player you're gonna get."
When the Jays are at their best it's those features that define them. They became the talk of baseball late last season for partying it up in the dugout during a scorching September and at times this year the wins, the comebacks, and the fun has continued. So shaking those defining features up—abolishing the fun or scaling back the aggression—wasn't the goal.
Schneider's first day as Blue Jays manager didn't seem all too different from the previous, at least not for him. He still jogged onto the turf in a cut-off sweater, still threw the first round of batting practice to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, and still made pleasantries with the crowd of reporters as he meandered back into the clubhouse.
But it was a little different, because he's now the guy in charge. The change at manager doesn't represent an overwhelming revision or transformation, but Montoyo is gone and the Blue Jays are hoping some change will come with it. At least in the win column.
