Jays coaching staff will soon look different
October 31st, 2009 | by jays1992 |By Paul Bruno
Following the appointment of Paul Beeston as the team President, the on-field management of the ballclub will change next season.
Cito Gaston has decided that he will not manage the Jays after next season, accepting a consulting role with the club for an additional four years, and pitching coach Brad Arnsberg has taken the same position closer to his home, by accepting an offer from the Houston Astros. Batting coach, Gene Tenace, has opted for retirement.
The replacements will come from within the existing staff, as long-time bullpen coach Bruce Walton becomes the pitching coach, while third base coach, Dwayne Murphy, is the new hitting coach.
The team was plagued by rumblings of dissention among the coaching staff and perhaps these decisions reflect some of that discord.
Whether or not these rumors are true, at least, it looks like upper management is bent on changing the culture around the team. This needs to be followed up by changes to this roster.
The Jays’ new GM, Alex Anthopoulos realizes that fielding the same overmatched roster won’t help ticket sales.
Toronto fans stayed away in record numbers during the second half of last season and are looking for changes. A failure to react to that message will continue that downturn in attendance numbers.
Beeston and Anthopoulos are aware that moves have to be made and that should make for a very active off-season.
Beeston, for his part has already met with Roy Halladay, presumably to sell the team’s signature player, on the early stages of the team’s plans for 2010.
It seems like this reorganized organization has it’s priorities in order.
By Mattt on Oct 31, 2009
Let’s just hope that Cito’s in game management and horrible batting order was a message to management and not his genuine attempt to win games
By Tom Chire on Jun 9, 2010
The recent suspension of Mike Wilner was a typically Canadian move – anybody who tells the real truth gets “muzzled.” Mike Wilner is a good baseball commentator. Unfortunately the object of his criticism, Cito Gaston, is not.
Mike never criticizes Gaston without giving rational and reasoned examples. He does this without ever being rude or abusive.
We all admit that Cito is a good man, a truly nice person, a great hitting coach and loyal to a fault to his players.
Unfortunately when it gets to a point where, as a manager, his lack of imagination, lack of creativity and plain poor judgment shock even the average fan like myself, the team has a problem. Muzzling Mike Wilner and pretending a managerial problem doesn’t exist isn’t going to help.
I would dare to suggest that if the Blue Jays were managed by an even average calibre major league manager, they might win 5 to 10 more games.
PS: Kudo however to the Blue Jays on scouting and development of some fine young players in
the organization. This gives me hope.