Toronto Blue Jays Dismiss Manager Charlie Montoyo

As he was entering the final season of his contract, on April 1, 2022, the Toronto Blue Jays extended the contract of manager Charlie Montoyo. His contract was extended through the 2023 season.

On Wednesday, July 13, Montoyo was dismissed as the manager of the Blue Jays.

Bench coach John Schneider will serve as the interim manager. Triple-A manager Casey Candaele will be the interim bench coach.

Montoyo, 56, was in his fourth season managing the American League East Blue Jays.

Montoyo had previously served as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Montoyo played parts of one season as a second baseman for the 1993 Montreal Expos. He played in four games, and went to the plate five times. Ne got two hits and drove in three runs.

Entering play July 13, Toronto was in 4th place in the very difficult American League East, 15.5 games behind the front running New York Yankees.

While it will be difficult for any club to catch the Yankees, the Blue Jays have to climb over the Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays before they can catch New York. It is a daunting task with little more than half a season remaining.

Chances are three teams from the AL East will make the expanded MLB playoffs. The Blue Jays still have a shot to get to the postseason.

If they can achieve postseason play, anything can happen.

Blue Jays Offense:

The Blue Jays are seen as a club with a potent offense, led by Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez. Combined the team is hitting .259/.321/.435, and that is below expectations. The club has hit 112 home runs, 34 less than MLB leading the New York Yankees, in one fewer game played.

In a crucial offensive category that really matters, the Blue Jays have scored 401 runs, good for 11th place among the 30 MLB clubs, and 52 runs less than the Yankees in one fewer game.

There are some good examples of major offensive players struggling at this point of the season.

All Star Vlad Guerrero Jr., has slumped of late. He is hitting only .266 in 374 plate appearances, far below his .311 batting average at the end of the 2021 season. He has 19 homers at the season’s mid-point. Last year he hit a career best 48 home runs.

Last season, Teoscar Hernandez hit 32 home runs for Toronto in 595 plate appearances. So far this season, Hernandez has hit nine in 262 trips to the plate.

The hottest Blue Jays hitter is catcher Alejandro Kirk. Named the American League starting All Star Team catcher, Kirk is hitting .312/.396/.482 in 285 plate appearances.

Blue Jays Pitching:

The Blue Jays entered the season with high hopes of contending for a top spot in baseball. They thought they had improved their pitching with the acquisition of free-agent right-hander Kevin Gausman, who was to have replaced lefty Robbie Ray, who left for Seattle as a free-agent himself.

Gausman has a record of 6-6 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 16 starts covering 88 innings. He is still the ace of the staff.

Right-hander Jose Berrios, obtained in a huge trade with Minnesota last season has been very good and then very mediocre. His inconsistency has been troubling. He has a record of 7-4 with a massive 5.38 ERA. His WHIP of 1.36 is also problematic.

The Blue Jays bullpen has not consistently delivered. They are among the worst in baseball in blown saves. Only the Rays, Braves, and Red Sox have blown more saves.

Blue Jays pitchers rank 22nd in MLB Earned Run Average with a 4.12 ERA. They are clustered among a group of teams that are not seen as contenders in baseball.

Collective under-achievement:

When a baseball team fails to achieve as expected, the front office can’t dismiss every player.

Ultimately, it is the person in the dugout that must bear the blame and take the fall.

Charlie Montoyo has done just that.

The Next Blue Jays Manager?

Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro formerly held the same role with the then Cleveland Indians.

Shapiro and Blue Jays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Ross Atkins was with Shapiro in Cleveland.

Both Shapiro and Atkins are very familiar with Cleveland Guardians First Base Coach Sandy Alomar, Jr.

Alomar has long been discussed as a potential big league manager. In fact, Alomar served as the interim manager of the Indians in 2012 after manager Manny Acta was dismissed mid-season. Then again in 2020, Alomar entered the dugout as the Cleveland manager when Terry Francona left the team due to illness. Alomar managed the team for 46 games, finishing with a 26-18 record.

One has to wonder if the Blue Jays would turn to Alomar, and if Alomar, 56, would want the headaches that come with the role? He may be very happy and satisfied remaining as the first base coach in Cleveland.

Summary:

The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in 4th place in the American League East standings with a record of 46-42. They are looking up at Boston, Tampa Bay and the division leading New York Yankees.

With three teams ahead of them, the Blue Jays have dismissed manager Charlie Montoyo.

Montoyo, recently given a contract extension, was relieved of his duties with enough time for Toronto to make a push for an American League postseason berth.

Consequential hitters have to produce more consistently. Pitchers have to live up to expectations on the mound. It all sounds so simple. But it isn’t.

To this old scout, the Blue Jays need help on the mound. Maybe they can find another starter and one or two relievers in the trade market. But it will mean they would have to sacrifice prospects or players from their current big league roster to hope for better results. The risk/reward of a major trade has to be evaluated carefully.

Baseball players are human. They have good and bad days. Perhaps a new voice in the Blue Jays dugout will be a spark to get the under-achieving club back on track.