Latest news with #MarkShapiro
National Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Toronto Blue Jays can be serious about contending for the first time in a decade
Now that they've proven they can be contenders, it's time for the surprising and entertaining Blue Jays to get serious. Article content Get serious about winning the American League East for the first time in a decade and casting aside the aim-low mindset of 'settling' for the pursuit of a wild-card spot. Article content Article content Get serious about showing that the surge to first place with that 10-game winning streak prior to the break was a truer indication than what they were in the first month of the season. Article content And from the front office, get serious about continuing to operate like the big-market team they are, shredding the perception it might have among some corners of Major League Baseball. Article content In other words, more than any other season in the era of team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, it's go time for the Blue Jays. Article content Think about it, since that front office reign began in earnest in 2016 or 2017, take your pick, this is the closest the team has been to the real deal. Article content Article content The fact that the opportunity has arrived later than expected, given the breakthrough of 2021 when the team was perceived to be one loaded with so much young talent that it would be a contender for years to come, well that only heightens the anticipation of the remaining 66 games — and ideally more. Article content The fact that the AL East specifically and the American League as a whole may be more available for the taking than since the Jose Bautista-Josh Donaldson-John Gibbons era of Blue Jays baseball, it's all the more reason to get excited about what awaits. Article content Article content Though there is still plenty of baseball to be played and the opportunity for a handful of swings, good and bad, between now and October, the demarcation points for manager John Schneider's team will come fast and furious. Article content Article content For the 55-41 Jays, a record good enough to get them a two-game edge on the New York Yankees (and now just three on the surging Boston Red Sox, winners of 10 in a row) the initial reckoning arrives on Friday. Article content The first 10-game stretch out of the break is a whopper for the Jays, a stern test that can give an early indication of how legit their contender credentials might be. It starts with three against the San Francisco Giants (52-45), followed by three against the Yankees (who surely won't roll over as they did earlier in the month during a four-game sweep at the hands of the Jays) and then on to Detroit for four against the AL-leading Tigers. Article content By the time that stretch is done, the Jays will be just four days away from the July 31 trade deadline, with Atkins expected to be one of the most aggressive buyers in the league.
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Blue Jays climbing MLB's list as potential future all-star game host
Article content Baseball's all-star game and the increasing array of festivities that surround the sport's showcase summer event long ago stopped being merely a celebration of the game's best. Article content It became a marketing drive for the sport and a showcase for the game's young stars, as we've seen by the glitzy and sometimes over-the-top presentation of the proceedings in recent years. Article content Article content It also became an opportunity for the commissioner's office to urge ownership of Major League Baseball teams to either build new stadiums or significantly invest in upgrades on current venues. Article content Article content With that in mind, it appears that the Toronto Blue Jays remain under serious consideration for a future Midsummer Classic, a point acknowledged by commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at a Baseball Writers Association of America meeting in Atlanta, Manfred strongly hinted that the Jays would be under consideration for a future edition of the game and all the related activities, including the Home Run Derby. Article content 'I'd like to be back in Toronto,' Manfred said at the meeting, according to Sportsnet. 'TBD at this point, beyond that. Article content 'Obviously (the Jays) are kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time.' Article content Topping the Jays credentials for hosting a game in the future is the $400 million plus in renovations Rogers pumped into the downtown dome, transforming it from a tired stadium verging on relic to a vibrant venue flush with high-end seating and public gathering areas. Article content Article content Manfred is known see such areas as critical to the attraction of the 'modern' stadium. For last year's game in Seattle, the Mariners wiped out the press box behind home plate and transformed it into an elite seating area. Under team president Mark Shapiro, the Jays did the same several years ago. Article content The Jays previously hosted an all-star game in 1991, a gap that also plays into Manfred's apparent criteria. In the three-plus decades since, Toronto has changed dramatically and would have plenty to offer as a host city for one of baseball's signature events. Article content The fact that Manfred openly acknowledges that the Jays haven't had a chance to host the event in so long is a plus in their credential, certainly increases optimism around the franchise in its hopes to showcase the renovated Rogers Centre and the city. Article content That the Jays are interested is not news. Team president Mark Shapiro has been vocal and transparent about wooing the commissioner for a shot at hosting one of the league's big-ticket events for quite some time now.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Rob Manfred says Blue Jays near ‘top of the list' to host future MLB All-Star Game
Toronto hosted the city's first and only MLB All-Star Game in 1991 at a new ballpark then known as SkyDome. The Blue Jays have won two World Series since then. They've played through lean years, returned to the postseason, renamed the home park and renovated it. Over three decades later, Toronto is once again in contention to host a future midsummer classic. Advertisement Speaking to media at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the Blue Jays are 'perking up to the top of the list' to host a future All-Star week. The Blue Jays' recent $400 million Rogers Centre renovation modernized the multi-purpose stadium, putting Toronto in contention to host a major baseball event. But a top factor working in the city's favour is the 34 years since the Jays last hosted, Manfred said. 'I've said before that a really significant factor in terms of All-Star Games is, when did you have the last one?' Manfred said. 'So you can figure out, kind of. It is not the sole determining factor, but it's a significant one. And obviously, I think Toronto was '91 I believe. Obviously they're kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time. I'd like to be back in Toronto.' Joining a broadcast last season, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said the organization was working on bringing the All-Star Game back to Toronto. 'We're on the list,' Shapiro said at the time. 'I'm feeling optimistic on that one,' Shapiro added on the broadcast. 'I'm not exactly sure what the year will be.' The Jays would likely host the showcase event in 2028, at the earliest. Philadelphia is set to host the 2026 All-Star Game and the Chicago Cubs are 'gaining momentum' to secure the 2027 event. Many Blue Jays players flashed All-Star moments in recent years. Alek Manoah was the AL starting pitcher in 2021 in Los Angeles, six Toronto players earned All-Star honours in 2022 and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the Home Run Derby in Seattle in 2023. Guerrero declined to participate in this year's derby, but told Sportsnet he is sure to join if Toronto hosts in the future. The Athletic's Evan Drellich contributed reporting.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
The Blue Jays haven't hosted an MLB all-star game since 1991. That could soon change
It's been 34 years since the Blue Jays hosted an all-star game but that might soon change. Toronto is a 'front-runner' to win the bid for the 2028 game, according to report from USA Today national baseball columnist Bob Nightengale . The same report suggests the club's top competition is Baltimore, which hasn't hosted since 1993. When asked to comment, a Jays spokesperson said the club didn't have any information to share. That's not surprising. The Chicago Cubs are expected to be in charge of the 2027 all-star game, but that has yet to be announced by Major League Baseball. The Jays have been trying in recent years to host one of MLB's signature events. Team president Mark Shapiro previously announced a bid for the 2027 all-star game and, after reportedly missing out, applying for 2028 would be the logical next step. 'We're working on that,' Shapiro said last spring. 'The commissioner is coming at the end of the month for a visit, not by mistake because we want to show him what we've done here and (we) feel like there's a good chance of that happening in the next four or five years. 'I'm feeling optimistic on that. I'm not exactly sure what the year will be ... but we're on the list.' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred previously acknowledged the Jays' efforts to bring the game to Toronto as well. Atlanta is the host city for this week's festivities while Philadelphia has been announced for 2026. The Jays last hosted the all-star game in 1991, when Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. stole the show. Ripken became the first player to win the home run derby and all-star MVP in the same year. He also became the first derby winner to hit a home run in the game. The Orioles have been waiting their turn almost as long as the Jays. The last time they hosted, the Jays were on their way to winning back-to-back World Series titles. That game is remembered most for Jays manager Cito Gaston deciding not to use Baltimore right-hander Mike Mussina, then 24 years old. Even though it was pre-planned, Mussina began warming up on his own during the eighth and ninth innings, which prompted 'We want Mike' and 'Cito sucks' chants from the crowd. Baltimore responded later in the season by flying the Jays' pennant upside down . Now those same two cities appear to be competing against each other to host in 2028. An additional selling point for Jays fans is that 2023 home run derby champion Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told Sportsnet earlier this year that he would compete in the event again if Toronto was the host city. 'I am strongly influenced by two things,' Manfred said last year. 'One, when did you last have a game? Toronto stacks up pretty well on that variable ... And two, the city. Our all-star (festivities), what's become most of the week, we need certain facilities and certain types of support.' The Jays line up well there. MLB notoriously likes to reward teams that build a new stadium or undergo extensive renovations with an all-star game. It's considered a perk to entice clubs and their host cities to invest additional resources into upgrading their infrastructure. Shapiro recently oversaw an investment of approximately $400 million to modernize Rogers Centre and the Orioles are expected to spend a similar amount next year. New seats and social areas were installed throughout Rogers Centre while the bowels of the ballpark saw extensive changes to the home clubhouse and the addition of state-of-the-art training facilities for players. It's worth noting, however, that the visitor's clubhouse was relatively untouched and remains small compared to other stadiums. Manfred is set to meet with members of the Baseball Writers' Association this week in Atlanta. He figures to be asked about the 2028 all-star game but an official decision likely won't come until after the 2027 host is announced. Toronto pitcher was serving a 75-game suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policy
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Are the Blue Jays closer to fixing their pitching development pipeline?
TORONTO — With the Toronto Blue Jays firmly in a rebuild in 2018, team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins promised waves and waves of talent were on the way — the cornerstone of sustained contention. Young hitters have since arrived, with Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger joining the core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. But as the franchise enters a window established by Guerrero's 14-year, $500 million extension, developing starting pitching remains the organization's greatest struggle. Advertisement This season, the 10th since Shapiro and Atkins joined the organization, the Blue Jays have used 12 different starting pitchers. Not one was homegrown. No draft picks pitching in the big leagues. Zero amateur free agents sliding into the rotation. Since Opening Day 2023, Alek Manoah remains the only amateur signing or drafted pitcher to make a start for the Blue Jays. That's more than 400 games and just 24 homegrown starts. By contrast, the New York Yankees have had closer to 120 homegrown outings in that time and the Boston Red Sox have had nearly 200. While other clubs have stocked rotations with homegrown arms, the Jays have filled their pitching needs by handing out large contracts — $110 million for Kevin Gausman, $131 million for José Berríos and $63 million for Chris Bassitt. Rather than promoting prospects from Triple A to provide depth and spot starts, the Jays have turned to minor-league deals, trades, waiver claims and midseason signings. They've survived the lack of young pitching, for the most part, with health and reliability from veteran starters. But to survive isn't the same as to sustain. Those big contracts will soon expire, and the Blue Jays will need starting successors from within. In 2020, perceiving they had fallen behind the sport's top organizations in developing pitchers, the Blue Jays increased efforts to catch up. In a way, they did. They built a sparkling new pitching lab. They joined the rest of the industry in the chase for velocity and new pitch shapes. But top prospects suffered major injuries. Some found themselves traded away. Others fizzled out. Taken together, Toronto had still failed to produce big-league starters, prompting yet another round of change. At the end of the 2024 minor-league season, the Blue Jays let go of pitching coordinator Cory Popham and several other members of Toronto's player development staff. Popham, who has since joined the Baltimore Orioles, was well-liked within the organization. It wasn't enough. Advertisement 'We just weren't seeing the results that we're hopeful for,' Toronto's player development director Joe Sclafani said. 'And myself and a few other leadership group members talked through it and felt like it was time to make a shift on that side.' That shift came in the form of a new director of pitching, Justin Lehr, and a new development philosophy. Pushing strike-throwing ahead of the relentless chase for stuff and velocity, the Blue Jays are once again seeing hints of success. But the biggest question facing Shapiro, Atkins and now Lehr remains unanswered. Is the organization finally on track to fix its issues developing starting pitchers? In 2009, long before he'd be tasked with revamping the Blue Jays' pitching pipeline, Justin Lehr threw an 87 mph fastball in front of a sparse crowd at Great American Ballpark. The pitch wound up just outside the zone, but drew a harmless lineout from Pirates outfielder Lastings Milledge that landed in the outstretched glove of Jay Bruce. That lineout gave Lehr a quality start. It was also the final time he walked off a big-league mound. Lehr hung on for three more years in the minors and international leagues. But when his playing career ran its course, he joined the Houston Astros as a pro scout before he tried amateur scouting for the Royals. His future course would be shaped by his time with the Giants, where he began working in pitching rehab before rising to a prominent position helping to oversee San Francisco's pitching factory. The Blue Jays, drawn to his experience in nearly every aspect of pitching development, hired Lehr away from the Giants before the 2024 World Series. Toronto hoped Lehr could act as connective tissue between coaches, analysts and players. The goal was straightforward: help the Blue Jays refine their failed efforts to produce big-league starters. Advertisement For years, Toronto watched organizations like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays craft pitch shapes and increase velocities, both of which were beyond the capabilities of the Blue Jays and other clubs. The 2020 World Series featured a matchup of the Rays and Dodgers, who won the title after all 18 of their postseason games were started by homegrown hurlers. Dustin May threw 98 mph sinkers, 10 mph harder than he could muster in the minors. Tony Gonsolin featured the devastating slider he picked up while climbing the Dodgers' system. So, the Blue Jays followed suit and made a priority of enhancing stuff. The organization leaned on its new player development complex and pitching lab in Dunedin, Fla. And by 2023, a league source said the Blue Jays celebrated one of baseball's biggest collective velocity jumps among minor-league pitchers. Ricky Tiedemann, the team's best young arm, surpassed 97 mph with his fastball. Landen Maroudis, another promising pitcher, saw his average heater jump from 94.5 mph to 96.4. Leaning on the ability to improve upon raw stuff, the Blue Jays targeted high-floor pitchers with control in the draft, hoping to add strikeout weapons along the way to the big leagues. It helped, too, that the arms had stayed relatively healthy. The stuff was there. But still, homegrown starters did not materialize in the big leagues. Tiedemann entered the 2024 season ranked as The Athletic's top Blue Jays prospect — a 'mid-rotation starter or better,' per Keith Law. After working through nerve inflammation early in the season, the gargantuan lefty returned to the mound in June. In three brief starts at Low A, he racked up 15 strikeouts. The Blue Jays emphasized stuff, and it showed with their top young arm. In his final outing before a promotion to Triple A, Tiedemann threw a 98.4 mph fastball above the zone. Per Statcast, it was the hardest pitch he'd ever thrown. He was a fiery southpaw on the cusp of the big leagues, one step away from becoming the homegrown starter that the Blue Jays covet. Advertisement But one inning into his Triple-A return, Tiedemann's elbow blew out. It was one of many setbacks in a season defined by frustration. By last May, the Blue Jays' 2022 first-rounder Brandon Barriera was out with an elbow injury. As was Maroudis. They were joined by at least seven other Blue Jays pitching prospects who underwent season-ending elbow procedures in 2024. The vexing trend kick-started an internal discussion that only intensified as more pitchers got hurt. After being one of the healthiest organizations in baseball the year prior, mounting ailments in 2024 prompted an audit with medical staff, strength and conditioning and player development advisors. After poring over biomechanical reports and in-game pitching data, the organization didn't find many commonalities between the required surgeries. Injuries are part of developing pitching in 2025 — some of baseball's most successful franchises are filled with players recovering from Tommy John. Toronto's injuries were a blow, but the club came away believing that there were no waving red flags to address. Still, the Blue Jays made changes. The organization has been extra cautious with pitcher workloads this year, implementing piggyback starts in the low minors and bringing pitchers into the lab to establish preseason baselines and for regular check-ins. But, more than anything, the Jays' pitching development changes have come from a philosophical shift led by Lehr. When both Barriera and Maroudis joined the Blue Jays, they were part of an organization searching for stuff. Since undergoing internal brace procedures last May, they've returned to action this season within a development system reshaped by new priorities. Increasing velocity remains important for every organization, but for the Blue Jays it no longer stands above the rest of their goals. It now starts with throwing strikes. 'We've reshuffled it into the deck,' Lehr said of the previous focus on stuff. 'It is a priority, but not in lieu of throwing it over the plate and keeping guys off it.' Advertisement Toronto's top goal, especially with pitchers just joining the system, is living in the zone and earning count leverage. Lehr calls 'owning the strike zone' his foundation. It's a doctrine formed by Lehr's time learning under Brian Bannister — the Red Sox's, Giants' and now the White Sox's pitching specialist — from 2020 through 2023. The core philosophy is less about what will push prospects up a system, but what will help them be effective once they arrive in the big leagues. Getting a pitcher to Triple A may be a small development win, but producing effective big-league starters is what counts. Instead of building nasty new pitches or getting in the lab early to grow velocity, the Blue Jays are now letting pitchers build a foundation in the low minors, leaning on what got them drafted. If early mechanical fixes are made, they're done mainly to get pitchers to throw more strikes. Results will dictate if more changes come later. In the past few seasons, the organization's minor-league pitchers ranked at least bottom half in strike rate. This year, Sclafani said, they've been one of the best in baseball. 'If you're going to get beat,' Sclafani said. 'Get beat in the zone.' Toronto's new approach doesn't work in isolation. It has unfolded alongside the team's decisions with drafting and international signings. The Blue Jays drafted a trio of pitchers with their first three picks in 2024 — Trey Yesavage (20th overall), Khal Stephen (59th), and Johnny King (95th). All three had at least one pitch that could play in the majors now — like Yesavage's 60-grade splitter or King's plus fastball and slider. There was no need to try to boost up stuff. At least not yet. 'We've learned a ton about opportunities and really what is just to increase our opportunities, to have a better and better process,' Atkins said. 'To optimize our pitching, not only from a development standpoint, but aligning it with what we're acquiring.' Advertisement While Yesavage recently earned a promotion to Double A and King should rise soon, Stephen is perhaps the best example of the Blue Jays' new approach. Stephen already had five solid pitches when he was drafted, including a plus fastball and big-whiff slider. He walked just 5.5 percent of batters in his final season at Mississippi State, though his strike-throwing has risen to another level this year in the minors. As of June 25, Stephen sat with the ninth-best strike rate among all qualified pitchers in Low A or higher. So far, living in the zone hasn't been an issue. In 14 outings, he owns an ERA of 2.06. Colby Martin, a 2024 16th-round pick, stands out as another example of Toronto's new philosophy. In brief outings with the Dunedin Blue Jays last year, the recently converted reliever averaged nearly 99 mph on his fastball but walked 14 batters in 8 2/3 innings. He bought into the Blue Jays' new approach, taking about two mph off the heater this year — no longer chasing high velocity. With tweaks to his delivery and an emphasis on throwing strikes, Martin pushed his walk rate down 13.1 percent, moving his ERA from 7.27 to 1.61. His strikes earned a promotion to High A and drew attention from other clubs, as the Blue Jays traded Martin to the Miami Marlins for depth starter Robinson Piña last week. Said Lehr: 'The players kind of become what you emphasize.' The Blue Jays haven't pushed velocity entirely to the back seat, but they've taken what Lehr called a more 'holistic approach.' Any pitcher can go to a trainer or coach in the offseason, throw weighted balls all winter and come back in spring with a few extra miles on the fastball. But Sclafani said that the Blue Jays have come to believe that those velocity jumps aren't necessarily sustainable. They may not be conducive to health, either. 'We accepted that the long-term view on velo development is probably a little more viable,' Lehr said. Instead, the Jays now focus on what they believe are sustainable velocity gains. Look to Paxton Schultz as the example here, the player to be named later in an early 2021 trade that sent Derek Fisher to the Milwaukee Brewers. When he arrived in Toronto, Schultz's fastball hovered in the low 90s. Four years later, it sits at 93.8 mph in the Blue Jays bullpen, peaking at 95.7. Schultz credits the boost to corrected mechanics and multiple years in the weight room, not one offseason of weighted balls. With a slower velocity build, Schultz hasn't missed significant time due to injury in his professional career, either. Advertisement Guys like Schultz are clear development success stories — a trade toss-in logging meaningful innings for a Blue Jays team in the playoff mix. There are many ways to grade development wins, like a little-known arm making it to the upper minors, trading a prospect for MLB help or filling out a bullpen with reliever conversions. But Toronto hasn't had those same stories in the rotation. It hasn't been for a lack of trying, as the Blue Jays chased down the Rays' and Dodgers' stuff factories. There's no dearth of hyped youngsters, either, with Manoah, Tiedemann, Barriera and others pushing up top prospects lists. Now, Yesavage, Stephen and King appear ready to ascend. The group of pitchers Toronto lost to surgery last year, including Tiedemann and Maroudis, will return to the field soon. The Blue Jays, once again, have a group of pitching prospects to dream on. With a new pitching vision, Toronto hopes this wave will be different. (Top photo of prospect Ricky Tiedemann pitching in a game last spring: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)
