Blue Jays Offensive Architect Named MLB Coach of Year by Top Publication
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It has felt like the Toronto Blue Jays have been overlooked for a few accolades during this time of year when accolades are handed out to baseball's best from 2025.
It started with four of their own being nominated as American League Gold Glove Award finalists with no victors, followed by John Schneider wrongfully not being named AL manager of the year.
One month later though their team has been rightfully honored as one of their own has been named Baseball America's 2025 Coach of the Year. Hitting coach David Popkins helped lead their hitters to be one of the best in baseball this year.
Their bats led them to their first division title in a decade and their best season in 30 years as the ballclub made their first World Series appearance since 1992.
A Look at the Blue Jays' Offensive Masterpiece in 2025
This was Popkins' first season with the Jays as he spent the three years prior with the Minnesota Twins. But, with the way 'Pop' showed up for the Blue Jays this season it is hard to imagine he is going anywhere anytime soon.
The below stats are looking at the team as a whole during the regular season and where they ranked among the other 29 teams.
- .265 Batting Average, 1st
- .333 On-Base Percentage, 1st
- .427 Slugging Percentage, 7th/8th
- .760 OPS, 3rd
- 771 RBI, 3rd/4th
- 294 Doubles, 3rd
- 1461 Total Hits, 1st
- 798 Runs, 4th
The Blue Jays were a nightmare for pitching staffs not simply because of the heavy hitters that are on the roster but the ability for anybody in the lineup to make a play. It was not a liability to have their No. 9 hitter at the plate by any means.
When 2025 came to a close it wasn't just four individual Silver Slugger Awards the organization was up for, but the team itself. In the end it was their star designated hitter George Springer who walked away as a champion while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette came up just short.
This was a massive turnaround for the Blue Jays who went from last in the division just a year ago to a 20-game turnaround as they posted the best record in the AL. Clearly this is a team game and the bats weren't the only reason that they made it as far as they did, but the offense sure stole headlines time and time again.
The Twins shockingly decided not to rehire Popkins and it is fair to say that their loss has been the Blue Jays gain.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.