As well, hitting-lab coach Jamie Lever and Latin America co-ordinator Michael Rivera are leaving the organization.
Blue Jays make more changes to minor league development staff
Sep 23, 2024, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 23, 2024, 18:26 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays’ front office turnover continued on Monday.
According to numerous sources, the Blue Jays have dismissed several coaches in the organization. Those people are Buffalo position coach Justin Echavarria, New Hampshire position coach George Carroll, Florida Complex League (FCL) pitching coach Brendan Kelly, FCL hitting coach Fred Landers, hitting-lab coach Jamie Lever, and Latin America coordinator Michael Rivera.
Early in September, the team’s pitching coordinator, Cory Popham, was also dismissed from his duties. Popham spent six seasons with the organization.
The thing that immediately sticks out is the dismissal of numerous Florida Complex League coaches. Last season, the team finished with an abysmal 12-44 record, not just the worst in the FCL, but the worst in all of baseball when looking at winning percentage.
That extends to other teams in the Jays’ organization too. New Hampshire’s season winning percentage was the worst in the Eastern League, while the Buffalo Bisons’ .459 win percentage was the second-worst in the 20-team International League.
Of course, there were some success stories in the organization. Vancouver played in their third-consecutive Northwest League Championship series, while Dunedin finished with a .531 winning percentage despite not making the postseason. Moreover, the Dominican League Jays finished with a .556 record.
As for the upper-minor position coaches, it’s less clear why they were dismissed. However, it wouldn’t be all too surprising if there are more front office moves as the Blue Jays’ off-season begins, but it seems unlikely that general manager Ross Atkins or president and CEO Mark Shapiro will be fired.
Shaprio and Atkins, along with manager John Schneider, seem to have a vote of confidence from the players. According to this The Star article written by Mike Wilner, veterans Chris Bassitt and George Springer don’t blame general Atkins’ for the poor season. He noted that it falls on the players including himself. The full quote can be found below.
”(Fans would) be yelling at players a lot more than, say, yelling at (general manager Ross Atkins),” said Bassitt. “I don’t blame Ross. I sure as heck don’t blame (president Mark Shapiro) or Schneids (manager John Schneider). Player accountability is massive, and I think we have that here. It’s just for whatever reason (Jays) fans don’t want to yell at players; they want to yell at Ross. I don’t know why.”
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the Blue Jays this off-season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are entering their final season under team control, and it’s clear the team needs to fix its bullpen and add some power.
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