Q+A with pitching coach Pete Walker
Here’s what pitching coach Pete Walker had to say during a scrum on Wednesday afternoon regarding several key members of his staff:
Why only one inning for Brandon Morrow when all of the others are going two innings during their first time out this spring?
“It’s what he did last year. We’re going to stick to what worked for him. He had a great spring last year, came along nicely. Gave him the necessary days off that he needed to keep him fresh and things worked very well so he’s going to stick to the plan.”
So it was more his own personal decision to go just one inning rather than the club’s?
“Obviously it worked last year and he wants to get off to the same start he did last year. It’s kind of a mutual decision.”
How is the workload determined for other pitchers?
“More or less it’s going to be a pitch count. It’s going to be 30 pitches and then all of those numbers to start off right now, we’ve discussed them, and obviously the pitches are the primary importance. If some of those starters are listed for two innings, they certainly aren’t going to throw two if it’s a long first inning.
“We have time, we’re getting them right, most of them are on their five-day rotation right out of the chute. The second outing will only be two innings as well. We have an extra four or five days in the spring so we’re going tomake sure these guys are where they need to be at the end of Spring Training to start the season, get the right number of innings and control their pitches throughout.”
On Casey Janssen’s progress from a shoulder injury…
“He’s coming along as expected. It’s a little slow, we’re still hopeful that he’s ready to start the season. If he’s not, we’ll go to Plan B but we’re prepared for that. Right now, he’s doing everything he needs to do to be ready for Opening Day and that’s his goal.”
Janssen’s plan for the next couple of weeks?
“He has a couple of more sides and then we’re going to get him into a couple of live BPs. But his schedule is subject to change at any time. We’re going to take it day-by-day, see how he’s feeling. Our goal is to just get him 100% whether it’s Opening Day or seven days after that. There’s going to be no rush to push him. Obviously, if he’s going to be the closer in Toronto we want him to be 100%.”
How much work does Janssen need to get in before the start of the season?
“I think with him, that’s a tough one because obviously our concerns are him being 100% so it’s impossible to put a number on it. We’d like to get him into games by the 13th or 14th of March. Realistically to get him to start the season, he needs to be able to go back-to-back days, he needs to be feeling great after those back-to-back days because when we bring him up to Toronto and he’s pitching in front of 50,000 people, the expectations are high, the team’s ready to go.
“He wants to be 100%, we don’t want to put him in the situation where it’s a struggle for the first week or two. We certainly wouldn’t do that. I think it’s not really a number of innings, it’s just after that back-to-back outing, if he’s feeling great he’s ready to go.”
Lots of time remaining to work out the kinks…
“There’s plenty of time but certainly we’re not going to rush him right now. He’s coming along at the pace that the doctors recommended and we’re going to stick to it. If there are any setbacks, we’ll go to Plan B. Right now, he’s feeling good and he’s on schedule.”
Josh Johnson lost some velocity last year. Wasn’t entirely unexpected since he was coming off a shoulder injury the year before. Where do things stand now?
“I think he looks really strong. The conversations I’ve had with him, and some of the video I’ve seen of him in the past, he looks really good and he’s feeling really good. I’m very encouraged right out of the chute.
“He has turned into a pitcher. He knows how to pitch. He’s not as concerned with the velocity being in the mid-90s consistently. if he’s in the low 90s at times, he knows how to pitch. He keeps the ball down. He has incorporated that curveball now which is going to help a lot to keep the hitters off balance. But his location and fastball command is impeccable right now and it’s fun to watch.”
With the curveball in place he could become really dominant if the velocity returns…
“There’s no doubt about it. That’s what we’re hoping for. But what he did last year, if he can just carry that into this season, I know he’s really encouraged with the breaking ball. The fastball, if that velocity jumps a click, great. If it doesn’t, we still have a super pitcher.”
On Esmil Rogers…
“He has a tremendous arm. I’ve seen quite a few good arms here to be honest with you. There’s some power and some untapped power. But he’s a guy that came into his own a little bit in Cleveland, struggled a little bit in Colorado. You look at the numbers and you’re trying to figure it out, I don’t know what was going on there. It could have been the Colorado air. But in Cleveland it came together a little bit, used his slider a little bit more and he knows how to spin the baseball and has a power arm. He seems to be a very athletic kid, just learning and getting better.”
Who are the untapped power guys?
“(Jeremy) Jeffress is a guy, tremendous arm. And even some of the non-roster guys I’ve seen so far. Very deceptive deliveries and guys that can definitely help throughout the course of the season.”
Q+A with new Blue Jays hitting coach Chad Mottola
To the surprise of pretty much nobody, Chad Mottola was hired to become the Blue Jays’ new hitting coach when John Gibbons was brought on board in November. It was a natural promotion considering Mottola spent the past four years as a Minor League hitting coach and review rave reviews from some of the club’s top prospects and struggling veterans.
Last year’s hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy, is still on the staff but will spend the majority of his time in charge of baserunning and outfield defense. In some ways it’s a perfect mix because Murphy has already established strong working relationships with the likes of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. So some of the veterans will be able to continue their work with Murphy while Mottola seems better suited to deal with the younger players on the team.
Here’s what Mottola had to say about his overall coaching philosophy and working with Murphy…
Process taking over as new coach, what are things you look to establish…
“What’s nice is that I’ve had a lot of the younger guys early on in their careers so kind of getting them back to where they were and letting Murph continue with the guys he had success with.”
Is it tough, though, having your predecessor still on the coaching staff?
“Not a shared position but having Murph makes it different than most… I wouldn’t say it’s shared but I’m going to let the guys lean on Murph when they need him. Murph’s going to be here for outfield and base running which is a priority and I think was needed at times last year. Going into camp, he’s going to have those guys more often than being in the cage and being around the cage. When he’s needed, he’s going to be used, if not when the younger guys, I already have a pretty good relationship with we’re going to go with what we had in the past.
“Murph’s nickname is pro and it’s for a reason. We have a pretty good relationship where there’s no ego with either of us. Going into it, having that established relationship makes it easier.”
Inherit team that has last two NL batting champions..
“Yeah, for sure. I’m getting to know those guys the first couple of weeks, find out what their philosophies are and build off what they’ve done in the past.”
Approach or philosophy how is it different from Murph…
“There’s not going to be much change with the guys who have had success. There are plenty of guys that had success under Murph and then I’m going to kind of work with the younger guys and see what they need to change to be what they can be.”
Getting guys in proper head space (ex Lind)…
“One thing about baseball is everyone has hit, everyone has their own opinion and everyone feels like they can fix everybody. One thing is that everybody has good intentions but one thing we’re going to concentrate on this year is having one message. So there is no mixed message, there’s not anybody trying to sneak in and be like hey I know you’ve done this.
“With Adam, I played with him, I coached him, we’ve done everything so we kind of know his personality and how to get him in the right position mentally to hit and I think that’s where he was at in the past, it was kind of mental.”
Being up with the big league club the past two Septembers must help…
“It makes really simple. Murph and I know eachother, I’ve sat in the cage hours upon hours and watched him work. He allowed me to work with guys which you don’t see in baseball of a big league coach allowing someone to come up in September and say go ahead have at it. So going into it, we have the same thing going, if a guy hops into our cage, my cage, or his cage, there’s nothing personal. There’s no worries about what he’s saying, we know how to work together.”
Past years coaches have tried to impart their own philosophy on hitting…
“I work individually. I think that’s what’s important about this game is that everybody has their own personality and their own style. They’re going to strike fear into their own team yet they’re going to let different guys have different approaches.”
Approach with Lawrie, priorities…
“We have a relationship in the past just getting him to slow down. He gets himself in trouble, the same thing that makes him great is the same thing that gets him in trouble. So just slowing down and quit trying to get the ball at 40 feet, let it travel a little bit.”
Rasmus…
“The talent in him is unbelivable. The things he does, the way he gets to the front of the box and we’re just going to get his quick hands to work in his favor rather than going through swing changes all year. I think we have a pretty good base going into the year and we’re going to try and keep it there.”
Rasmus made transition to front of the box last year… sticking with that?
“We modified it a little bit but it’s one of those things where as time goes on we hope we’re not going to see five different stances after an 0-for-4. We’re trying to get a consistent base and then we’re going to stay there.”
What are you trying to modify?
“We’re still doing some things, getting his hands a little bit lower and getting him in a better position to hit.”
Newcomers does it take time to get familiar with them…
“I think more getting to know their personalities. I think their track records speak for themselves. More than getting them comfortable here, the sooner that happens the better off we are. Guys that have the track records, kind of stay out of their way.”
Been with Gibby before…
“Yeah, I actually was in camp for a couple of years, had about a month and a half up in the big leagues with him. As far as our personalities, they’re great. Let the guys play and when they need us we’ll get involved. But with the talent we have now, it’s a good mix.”
Hitters facing live pitching Sunday…
“That’s all for the pitchers. Spring Training in the first week is for the pitchers. It’s one of those things that hey guys, get what you can get out of it, let the pitchers get their work in.”
Looking for specific things who are coming back from injuries…
“Just make sure they’re healthy. Early on, it’s a longer spring this year with the Classic going on, not necessarily numbers for sure, just make sure we’re healthy and then worry about the last week getting ready for the season. ”
Lind speaks out about last year’s coaching staff
There were plenty of clues last season that 1B/DH Adam Lind and manager John Farrell never really saw eye-to-eye. There were some mild complaints from Lind during Spring Training that he was being told conflicting pieces of advice from various sources. There was also the rare public criticism by Farrell who went on record saying Lind was out of shape after he had been sent to the Minor Leagues in May.
The disagreements became more public during the offseason when Lind made an appearance on the Fan590 radio station in Toronto following Farrell’s departure to Boston. He talked at length about the lack of communication, Farrell’s fondness of the Red Sox even when he was an employee of the Blue Jays, and Farrell’s emphasis on the running game which reached an abrupt end during the final two months of the season.
The comments were taken by some as sour grapes but even if that’s the case there was a lot of truth in what Lind was saying. Several players have echoed similar sentiments off the record but to date Lind has been one of the only Blue Jays’ players not afraid to stand by what he firmly believes were the issues in the clubhouse for the past two seasons.
Lind was back at it again on Saturday afternoon. The comments weren’t intended to be malicious but instead provide somewhat of an understanding for what he has gone through the past couple of years.
Here’s what Lind had to say about the coaching staff from 2012:
“You guys were around the last couple of years and you have a manager telling you one thing, who was a pitcher, it makes it tough because he was from Boston where they were very selective and things like that, coming up through this organization it wasn’t something we preached or taught at the lower levels. That’s what he wanted to see and then to have a hitting coach like Murph, who’s an aggressive type hitting coach, sometimes you get a little confused on who you want to please.
“It was all in good faith and respect, but he would have his things out of me that he would want to see, and he would tell me that. You’d go to the cage and try to do your work or after an at-bat during the game and he would have more advice to give you. It would just get your mind thinking.”
More on the mixed messages and when they became an issue…
“Probably the first half of 2011. I felt really good at the beginning of 2011 and then I just ran out of gas. Then you start hearing all the voices from a bunch of different places, not that that’s an excuse or anything, but you hear them and you try to please people, especially a manager, because that’s who puts your name in the lineup cards, so you kind of want to do what he wants.
“At the end of the day it came down to me. I was the one given the opportunity to play. It’s on me, it’s not on the manager, that’s in the past and now we’re going to go forward with a very good lineup that we have this year.”
On the backlash he received from fans last season…
“I’d see my numbers and know what they’re thinking. I’ve been at bars during football games and things like that and have probably done it myself.”
On the difference of this year’s staff…
“This year the coaches will be given the freedom to do whatever they want. They have the trust of Gibby so he can just manage and sometimes the type of personalities we had on our staff last year, they micromanaged a lot and sometimes that can affect the way we play and the way we coach. This year the coaches have been given the opportunity to have free rein and do what they need to do for us to win games.”
More on the differences…
“I know with the staff that we have now everyone is confident in what they can do. They’ll be allowed to do their job the way it should be done. We’re going to work collectively and individually with the coaches.
“It’s going to be a fun experience working with Chad and having Murph in the mix as well.
“It’s a different staff. I think we learned as an organization from our mistakes the two previous seasons. The coaches are going to be free to do their jobs, have free rein to do what they think should be done.”
Any back issues?
“It’s good right now.”
Has the yoga helped?
“I hope (laughs). That’s why I did it. The back doctors suggested I do it. One of the unexpected things about it was that I actually enjoyed it. I mean, the time seemed to go by quickly. I wasn’t exactly looking at the clock for the whole hour and a half of each class. I didn’t quite get into the spiritual side of it but I’d like to do that, too.”
Media scrum with Mark Buehrle
On expectations following the club’s busy offseason…
“I think I’ve come to realize that making expectations or putting stuff where we’re going to get to isn’t a good thing because every year I feel like we have a good team. The last couple of years we haven’t gotten to where we want to get to. Coming into a new team, on paper we look good, we have to stay healthy obviously.
“I think that’s with any team, we need to stay healthy and keep guys on the field and I think if we do that then I think we have a chance to get to the playoffs. From there, anything can happen.”
On having to leave family behind in the U.S. because of Ontario’s ban on pit bulls (Buehrle owns four dogs, including one American Staffordshire terrier which is banned in the province)…
“I think we’ve wrapped around it. At the beginning it was, just realizing the family wasn’t going to be there. Miami, we were able to live out in a different suburb so they’re there. But I think the biggest thing on that was we’re trying to bring awareness to the breed ban. Some families aren’t as fortunate as we are to be able to maintain two houses and be able to live away. She’s going to come see us, it’s not like we’re not going to see eachother.
“I’m not going to see the dog for awhile but we’re trying to bring awareness for the breed ban and help out those less fortunate than us. I don’t want to make it a big story all year, it does suck that the family’s not going to be there. But guys go through it, guys deal with it. We’re going to deal with it, we’re going to make it work and I’ll see my dogs whenever I can.”
Any success with people in Ontario on having the ban lifted…
“To be honest, that’s mostly my wife. I’m going to do what I can when I’m there. The last four or five years we’ve done some stuff with the teams that we’ve been with, doing rescue stuff, she has kind of spearheaded it and has been the leader of it. I’ve done what I could but obviously with going to the field every day and playing. She’s not going to be there, we won’t be able to do as much but if she has some stuff I can do in my off time I’m going to do everything I can to try and help out.”
On impact teammates will have without family being around…
“Obviously you’re around these guys a lot so we have a lot of time down here to gel together and get to know everybody. A lot of new faces obviously but yeah, just having these guys around, I know a couple of the guys getting traded over from Miami, playing against some guys, I know Sergio from Chicago. It’s good to know a couple of people over here and it’s going to be fun getting to know everybody and hanging out with guys.”
Been without family before?
“No. We’ve been lucky, this is our first time having to go through this. Kids are just getting into school this August so we haven’t had to go home for school, we’ve had them together. The last three years of this contract are going to be away and it’s something we’re going to deal with. It’s going to be tough in the beginning and not seeing your kids but people deal with it and we’ll make it work.”
Hard feelings about Miami after the club broke its word and dealt him during the offseason…
“We took the chance going in, with a no-trade clause. That was one question my wife and I kept asking, knowing what (Miami management) had done in the past and what the plan was , if it was going to be a long-haul thing or just one or two years. From what we got told, we decided to sign there.
“I don’t want to talk too much on it. I wasn’t too happy at the time and still not too happy with those people down there obviously being lied to. It’s in the past and I’m looking to move forward.
“It took me a couple of months and I think I got over it a little quicker than my wife. I think she holds onto a little more. We both realize there’s nothing we can do about it. From what we were told, it’s kind of hard to let it sink in.”
Did anyone from Miami reach out after the trade…
“(Marlins president David) Samson called me on the trade and then when the article came out where I said that they lied to me, he tried to reach out again and I pretty much said ‘I’ve got nothing to say, I don’t know if you want to hear from me right now. It’s not going to be the friendliest thing.’ I haven’t talked to anyone since then and I don’t really intend to.”
What did Samson say?
“He told me they didn’t see the kind of season we were going to have and the attendance was low. He kind of went that route. He apologized and said that ‘I know we told you these things, but unfortunately we have to do this.’ “
On what he’d say to people who don’t have pets and don’t understand why he is so upset about the ban…
“Being a responsible pet owner, you can’t just dump your dog on somebody else or take a chance of breaking a law and taking him up there. We’ve had people say ‘Oh, you can bring him up here and knowing you have money, no one is going take your dog because they know you’re going to fight against it.’
“But the thing is, Slater will have to sit in a cage until that court date gets there. It could be two weeks or it could be three months. People who don’t own dogs are not going to understand that you’re leaving your family, your kids, behind over a dog. We just feel that all the training we’ve done with our dogs, it’s better they stay with my wife.”
On the supposed myths surrounding pit bulls and what he would say about the breed in general…
“They’re real loyal to their owners. Obviously everybody thinks they’ve got the locking jaws and they’re strong and mean but the way his temperament is, he’s awesome with our kids. He’s awesome when we have parties at our house and kids run in and ask where slater is. Every kid wants to go right to him.
“That’s the shame. Just because the way he looks is kind why we’re going to be separated. I know people are scared of them and freaked out by them but it’s mostly the owners, not the dogs. If you’re going to tie your dog up out back and treat it bad, it’s going to treat you bad right back. If you tie up any dog and don’t show them love and abuse them or don’t show them attention, I think any dog is going to be aggressive and have bad behaviour.
“Often the news stories you see on TV about a pit bull-type dog biting somebody and you look at the dog and it’s not even a pit bull. People just throw that name out there.”
More on Slater…
“We adopted him from a shelter. He was going to be put down the next day. We do a lot of work with Hope Rescues in Illinois. It just happens to be the week she was coming home (to Chicago) from Spring Training that she got returned and she was ranting and raving about this dog and I told if if she felt like that, to adopt it.”
On the upcoming season and the hype surrounding the team…
“You can obviously say we have a good team on paper but that’s why we have to go play 162 games. You don’t crown the winner in spring training off what they did in the off-season. All the experts pick who’s going to win the World Series and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody have the two teams who actually end up in it.
“I like our chances, but we have to come out here and gel together and everybody has to stay healthy.”
Distractions in Miami last year… Johnson said the new stadium caused a lot of issues…
“I’m pretty laid back and don’t let stuff bother me. I like to have fun on the mound. I’m out there laughing. Good start, bad start, I just throw it out the window and get ready for my next one. Obviously I’m down to No. 3 or No. 4 in the rotation, so that’s always a good thing.”
On the Blue Jays getting Dickey and how it changed his outlook on the team…
“When you get a guy like that. The last couple of years he’s been dominating games. I faced him three or four times and two or three losses were courtesy of him. He was fun to watch. He’s a great pitcher.”
On his pitching style…
“I throw four pitches in any count. Obviously I’m not the hardest thrower so I have to go out there and keep guys off-balance. I just know I have faith to throw a changeup in a fastball count. I feel like I can throw any pitch in any count.”
Spring’s almost here
Hello folks, Spring Training is almost upon us. Partial coverage from Dunedin will begin on Tuesday with full coverage starting on Wednesday in what will be my first full day in Florida. Now that the offseason is over, expect daily coverage on the blog in addition to of course the daily coverage on the main site.
I’ll also periodically submit some photo galleries during the workout days prior to the start of the Grapefruit League season. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @gregorMLB for all the breaking news throughout the spring.
In case you missed it earlier this week, here’s the Spring Training preview article that should get you set for everything in camp: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130207&content_id=41475634&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
Return from the holidays
I’m back in action after taking a couple of lovely weeks to return to my home province of New Brunswick to visit with friends and family. Now that the holidays are out of the way, it’s time to resume looking ahead to the upcoming season and what better way to start than a news conference with R.A. Dickey and Alex Anthopoulos.
On the main site, you’ll find my article on Dickey plus another item with all the latest information on Darren Oliver‘s potential retirement, request for more money, or a trade. After the 30-minute news conference with Dickey, Anthopoulos took some additional time to meet with reporters.
I’ll attempt to post a full transcript later this week but in the meantime here is a rundown of what Anthopoulos had to say:
- The Blue Jays continue to move forward under the assumption that Oliver will retire instead of returning for another season in Toronto. The club appears unlikely to offer him additional money on the $3-million he’s set to make in 2013 and Anthopoulos said a trade would only be made if it provided the Blue Jays with a clear upgrade.
- Even if Oliver does retire, Anthopoulos doesn’t expect to spend the $3-million on another player: “We blew so far past where we were supposed to be (in payroll). Darren was an exception, we exercised the option at the beginning of the offseason, payroll commitments were so different back then. Obviously if Darren was to choose to come back, we would certainly honor that, we’d be thrilled to have him. But that money is Darren Oliver money, it’s not go get another player or reliever money.”
- Anthopoulos confirmed that former shortstop prospect Justin Jackson will make the transition to a pitcher this Spring. Jackson said on Twitter that he was clocked at 95MPH and it’s the live arm that has the Blue Jays intrigued about the possibilities. There are no guarantees it will ever work out but with Jackson failing to produce at the plate during his Minor League career it’s a risk worth taking.
- J.A. Happ will begin the season as the Blue Jays sixth starter. In order words, he’s the back-up and won’t get an opportunity in the rotation until someone gets hurt. In the meantime, Happ will compete for a spot in the bullpen but he also has an option remaining on his contract and it’s possible he could begin the year at Triple-A Buffalo.
- Anthopoulos said Happ wasn’t exactly happy about the news but the writing was on the wall once the club acquired Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Dickey for its rotation. Happ has accepted his role and for whatever it’s worth Anthopoulos said he’s excited about playing on a winning ballclub.
- The Blue Jays do not expect outfielder Melky Cabrera to be asked to take part in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie are all but a lock to participate while it remains unlikely Jose Bautista will receive clearance considering he is coming off a left wrist injury that prematurely ended his 2012 campaign. No word yet on whether pitchers like Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson would be in the mix for Team USA.
- Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Spring Training on Feb. 13. The full roster will officially report on Feb. 17.
- Dickey said that he played catch with J.P. Arencibia in Nashville on Monday. Dickey praised Arencibia’s willingness to learn how to catch a knuckleball and provided the third-year catcher with a large glove that it typically used to for that type of pitcher.
- Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays remain in the market for a right-handed bat that can be used off the bench. The preference is to acquire someone that has the ability to play in the infield but Anthopoulos may choose to stick with signing several players to Minor League contract with a shot at competing for the job. It’s also possible that additional players will become available when teams start making their cuts late in camp.
- Anthopoulos also said that Sal Fasano‘s departure as the manager in Double-A New Hampshire will not have any impact on a potential future in that role at the big league level. The Blue Jays approached Fasano about taking a promotion to become a Minor League catching coordinator and they feel it’s something that will make him a more well-rounded coach/potential manager in the future.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @gregorMLB.
Meet the manager with John Gibbons
John Gibbons sat down with reporters for his Meet the Manager session on Monday afternoon here at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. All managers across Major League Baseball will sit through a similar media session this week with Boston skipper John Farrell scheduled to talk on Tuesday afternoon.
A nice bonus of this session is that the full transcript is provided to reporters by ASAP Sports. You can find my article about this scrum on the main media site but here’s with the full transcript from the event:
Q. Your role this week is what? We know what Alex does when it comes to trade signings, but when you’re in the room with him, what contributions does a manager make?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, what we do in there, you might throw out a name or two you’re thinking about trying to acquire or those kind of things, and he might go around and room and ask our opinions on different guys, if we know them, what do we think, what does that do to the team. But one thing about Alex, he wants everybody’s opinion and he’s got to make the decision. Kind of slow today and not much happening, but that’s kind of what happens at these meetings, and then the managers do these things and you turn around and go home.
Q. What were your thoughts coming into today?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, I did that the first go‑around here, but it’s been a while. But yeah, it’s always a ‑‑ it’s an exciting time because I’ve been out of it a while. One thing, it’s always good to see some familiar faces that we have here.
Q. It’s a little different coming into these meetings, for the last couple years it’s been about what are they going to give up. Now you guys are coming in from a position of strength looking to maybe add some depth as opposed to what are we going to do.
JOHN GIBBONS: We’re feeling good right now, there’s no question about it. It was a big trade for us and signing Cabrera. So they’ve really done a nice job of bringing in some players. I said earlier when I got hired, now it’s a job that the manager and the coaching staff to pull it all together and get the most out of these guys. But it’s a good position to be in. This job came out of nowhere for me, and to be sitting there looking at some of the players that they acquired in doing that, makes it that much nicer. I would have taken the job if he hadn’t made that deal, but it makes it much nicer to take it now.
Q. Is there enormous pressure on you?
JOHN GIBBONS: There’s always pressure, no doubt about it, because a lot is expected in the baseball world and the country of Canada and Toronto specifically there. But yeah, that’s a good thing. That means you’ve got a good team. But there’s always pressure in this business to perform.
Q. Alex was saying he was blown away by how many free agents are interested now in being a Blue Jay. Do you get that sense in baseball, since the move how much of a popular distinction is now for players?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, everybody is excited about it. When you turn on the TV, you hear about the Toronto Blue Jays a lot because of what they did and what the potential is here. So it’s an exciting time. You’ve got to go out and do it. You can talk all the want, this time of year that’s what the game is. But come April you’ve got to perform.
Q. Have you gotten a chance in the last two weeks to talk to most of the guys you want to talk to?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, I’ve talked to most of the guys. I’ve had trouble getting ahold of some of those guys down in Latin America, but yeah, I’ve talked to just about all of them.
Q. What have you heard from the new guys especially?
JOHN GIBBONS: They’re all excited, too. A group of them came over, all played together last year so they all know each other, but there’s a lot of new faces. And the guys that have been here, they look at if the trade is good for them, too. You know what, our team got that much better and they’re excited about it. Everybody wants to win. And normally guys want to get to the Big Leagues and become everyday players and establish themselves, and once you do that, it’s time to win.
So they’re all ready to go. But I’m going to have to familiarize myself a little bit more when we get to Spring Training because these guys don’t know me and I’ve got to get to know them, and we’ve got to come together as a team. You just can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t play as a team or focus on the same thing, you don’t get anywhere.
Q. Do you like the idea of having a guy like Buehrle as a veteran of this team? Even when Doc was here, he was still growing with the team a little bit before he became that veteran guy.
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, Mark has been around a long time, been very, very successful. Naturally he’s going to be a leader. And you don’t need to be a local guy. He’s the kind of guy that can lead by example. Those guys, when things get tough, you can always fall back on them. They have a tendency of pulling you through it and making a big pitching outing and getting a big hit to get a win. Veterans have been around a while and they’ve got that knock.
Q. Have you started looking at your roster and picture how you’d like the rotation to go or a batting order to do and utilizing what you have?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, I’ve tinkered with it from Day 1 when I got the job. It’s a pretty good lineup now. You’re not scrambling to jam guys in up at the top, but getting somebody who can hit at the top of the order. Now we’ve got so many guys that can do that, we’ll sometimes have to move some guys back. But it’s too early to say who’s going to hit where. I can probably tell you the top four right now, definitely Reyes, probably going to be Cabrera and then Bautista and Encarnacion, I can guarantee that.
Q. Alex was saying you talked about giving the opportunity to hit lefties. What gives you the belief that he can hit lefties?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, Adam broke in when I was there, I think there was a couple September call‑ups. After I got fired the first time, he got called up for good and really took off. From Day 1 in the Minor Leagues he could always hit. I mean, he was drafted as a hitter and he was always successful. Last couple years he’s fallen on some tough times, but he’s hit before, so I expect he’s going to get every opportunity to do the same because he’s got a chance to be a key part of this. And he hit before, he should be able to hit again.
Q. What other things are going to be your priorities?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, you know, I just sit back and kind of look at the team, just kind of dream, if you will. But right now with the new coaching staff, the new bench coach, we just kind organizing Spring Training because that’s the main thing in front of us right now, that’s basically it, and then finding a bullpen coach. Hopefully we’ll have something next week where we’re going to do with that. Other than that it’s been quiet and just enjoying the moment.
Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Brett? And what have people told you about him?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, you know, I had ‑‑ he’s a very aggressive kid with a ton of talent, got a chance to be one of the best players in the game. That’s what I’ve heard about him. I’ve heard, too, that he’s learned at this level on the basis he made some mistakes, that kind of thing. I read that, I’ve heard that. But he’s a kid ‑‑ from everything I’ve heard he’s the kind of guy you want on your team, he’ll run through the wall for you, and he’s got a ton of talent. That’s the bottom line. And with more experience, actually he’ll become a smarter player.
Q. Have you had a chance to chat with him?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, I talked to him a couple times on the phone, yeah, and he’s excited. He’s a gung-ho kid you can just tell by talking to him. Also a friend of mine was one of his hitting coaches when he was down in Double‑A with the Brewers, and he said, “You’ll love this kid. He’ll go through a wall for you.” I’ve heard nothing but good things to be honest with you.
Q. The common thread in describing you as a manager here is knowing how to handle a bullpen. In your mind what is it you do with a bullpen that makes it effective?
JOHN GIBBONS: You know, that would be tough to answer. First of all, you’ve got to have good guys pitching down there. You’ve got to have some talent, some fire power, then you just piece it together. With a good starting rotation that always makes a bullpen better because those guys are working less, and then you’ve just got to identify the roles and run with it, know who can do what. And you’ve still got to protect those guys. You don’t want to kill them down there. You piece it together like a puzzle in a lot of ways.
Q. Do you go into Spring Training in that regard with an open mind in terms of roles?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, because they threw some things at me. I know Janssen, he had a great year and he took over as a closing role. We’ll find out about Sergio, see where he’s at, find out whether coming out of the gates he’s healthy enough. It make take him a while to get going. But guys like Delabar and Lincoln, good arms, see how they fit. Luke, the lefty, it’s always valuable to have a good lefty that can get lefties out. A lot of guys can’t. We’ll piece it together. But I’ve got to learn these guys. And you can’t judge everything off Spring Training because you know how that is sometimes, so I’ll rely on these other guys to tell me some of that.
Q. Is part of it letting them know when they’re going to be used and not getting them up too often?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, that’s where it takes its toll on the bullpen is you get them up and you don’t use them. If you get them up and you get them in the game, everything is fine. There’s ups and downs that really take their toll on these guys. You can’t always do that, but if you’re conscious of it and say ‑‑ especially with your late‑inning guys, you’ve really got to guard those guys because if things are going well they’re going to be in a lot of games, so you’ve got to be conscious of that.
Q. Is Mike the second baseman as far as you’re concerned or could Emilio Bonifacio win that job?
JOHN GIBBONS: As of Thursday he’s signed to do that, but he’s very versatile. He can play several positions. Bonifacio can also play the outfield. We do have to figure that out, but it’s a good problem to have because they’re both very talented kids, men. So we’ll see.
Q. Update on Sergio Santos?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, we don’t know anything about Sergio really. Well, we know ‑‑ we don’t know how far along he is. You’ve got to be conscious of that.
Q. Regardless of that, what Janssen did last year, would you give him the chance to keep the job because it’s his to lose?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, that’s tough to answer right now, but I’m a big fan of Casey’s because I had him before, I know what he’s capable of doing. Any time you come off a surgery, you’ve got to be ‑‑ you don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But it’s nice to have both those guys and maybe can do that. Casey had a little minor procedure himself, so you’ve got to be conscious of that, of both those guys.
Q. Can you compare how you’re looking for a place in this division?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, I still think it’s the toughest division in baseball. That first go‑around, it was tough. You were looking up at Boston and New York all the time. Tampa was on the verge of really coming into their own. You could see some young players ‑‑ in Baltimore at that time they scored runs; on the nights they pitched they were very tough. I followed them over the years, and New Yorks and Bostons, they’re always going to be ‑‑ Boston had a down year last year, but that’s not going to last. And Baltimore gets into the postseason. Tampa is right there. So it’s a tough grind, tough division to play in, but that’s why we feel with the trades we made and signing of Cabrera gives us a shot. But you’ve got to go out and do it, but it gives us a lot of excitement.
Q. How do you feel about the starting rotation?
JOHN GIBBONS: Very good. Very good. You know, I think every team in baseball is looking for five guys they can count on, and through this trade we added two pretty good ones. So that was a question mark coming in before they made that trade. Yeah, we feel pretty good.
You’re going to have your ups and downs throughout a year, guys are going to get banged up, there will be some injuries. That’s just part of it. Now the thing is you’ve got to focus on depth. So one of these guys or two of those guys go down for any length of time, can we cover it. That’s where teams get in trouble. Same thing with the bullpen. Hopefully you have a guy sitting down in Triple‑A that can come up and maybe has a little experience and he’s not just a BP arm out there.
Q. How much do you know about Happ? He pitched in the National League. And what do you expect out of the fifth starter in terms of performance?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, you want a guy that’s good and competitive that can keep you in a ballgame, give you a chance to win. The thing I remember most about Happ was a Spring Training game the last time I was here and we played the Phillies over there, and he just blew us away for five innings or whatever his stint was. I can remember talking to J. P. about that afterward. Who’s this guy right here? I kind of lost track, but he’s got a good arm. He strikes out ‑‑ he’s a big strikeout guy, and he’s be a perfect fit. Here’s his opportunity over here to do it, and lefties are always valuable. Some of the best hitters in the game are lefties.
Q. It seems like there’s a special window for the Blue Jays who have been shut out for a long time. Is this your time?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, we hope so. But I mean, it’s still early in the offseason. The Yankees are going to be good. They won it again last year. You know, the Red Sox, there’s too much pressure on them not to do something to strengthen their team after what they went through last year. That’s a given. And Tampa, they come at you and they’re one of the better teams in baseball every year the last few years. And Baltimore.
I don’t know if this is our window. We think we’re very competitive and we can compete in this division now, but we’re hoping this is our time.
Q. Is it going to be strange at all playing in your division after managing another team?
JOHN GIBBONS: No, because I don’t really know them. If I knew them, it might be a little bit different, but I know he’s a fixture there in Boston. They really wanted him back. After all those years of being the pitching coach there. I did get a chance ‑‑ I was in town with Kansas City a couple years ago and got a chance to meet John, but I really don’t know him, but I’m sure he’ll do a great job over there.
Q. He knows your players fairly well.
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, but you know, to get him out or hit him, you’ve still got to execute, and we like our guys.
Q. What else do you think this team needs to finalize the roster?
JOHN GIBBONS: To be honest with you, I like the way it sits now, but you’re always looking to strengthen it in whatever way. I think the big thing now is depth, to overcome some injuries, what have you. But you know, they put together a pretty good group of guys. You can’t have everything. Nobody has a perfect team. You’re never going to ‑‑ we sure like the way it’s shaping up right now.
Q. Have you had conversations about what went wrong last year, what things have you heard?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, just from what I’ve heard and what I’ve read and things like that, baserunning was an issue, running into needless outs. I can’t comment on a lot of that because I wasn’t here. That’s not fair to anybody that was. I guess this would be my chance because I don’t know most of these guys. To get to know them, make my own judgments. You know, throw my philosophies at them, that kind of thing, my style of play.
So I can’t worry about that. It’s a new start for them. It’s a new start for me. But this team has got very good team speed. We’ve got power. We’ve got the pitching. So we need to play smart baseball is basically all I can tell you right now.
Q. On the running game….
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, you know, you’ve got guys and that’s their game and they’ve been very successful about it and they do it, you don’t want to shut that down. That’s why we got them, because they can do those things. So go for it, but be smart, too. Because we have some hitters sitting in the middle of that lineup that are ready to drive you in and hit home runs and those kind of things. So be smart about it. We don’t want to run unnecessary outs or ‑‑ still, you’ve got to be successful at a high rate, you know, when you’re stealing. But hey, that’s your game, go for it. That way you come up against tough pitching on a given night, low run scoring game, those guys can generate the runs for you and that’s how you can win those games. But they’re getting paid a lot of money to do those things and we’re not going to get in the way of that.
Q. Which coach will handle the running game?
JOHN GIBBONS: Luis will handle that, and Murph, and then me.
Q. When you were interviewing with Alex on the weekend in Toronto, since then when you’re talking with players on the phone, has anyone mentioned the clubhouse situation late in the season, especially the players? Have you talked to them about it?
JOHN GIBBONS: No. I had heard some things and read it, but I didn’t want to approach that. You’re going to get guys, different views on what’s going on in there, and you’ve got ‑‑ I’m sure you run into guys that weren’t fond of somebody that might have been here, that kind of thing, so you’re going to get different stories and that kind of thing, so I didn’t want to approach that.
I’m taking over, so this is my chance to kind of shape the clubhouse the way I think it is. I think they’ve got some good guys on the team, but there’s going to be a bunch of new faces, so you’ve still got to come together.
Q. You mentioned your approach and philosophy. How would you describe it?
JOHN GIBBONS: My personality or ‑‑
Q. Both.
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, I think any smart manager, you’ve got to take a look and see what you’ve got. Like I said a minute ago, we’ve got really good team speed, we’ve got guys that can hit the ball in the seats. And you’ve got to remember, too, in our division, it’s a good division for hitting home runs, too. We’ve got guys that can do that, some guys that are just good hitters.
We’ll turn them loose when we need to and then it’s just pretty much just running the pitching staff is where everything comes into play. Getting the most out of your players. You’ve got to get the most out of who they are. That’s what I think successful managers do. I’ve said before, and I don’t want to minimize things, but baseball is different from other sports where it’s not all Xs and Os because most teams bunt at the same times, whatever the situation might be. They’ll hit and run, steal and all that, depending on who’s on the mound. You know what I’m talking about. Fastball, play calling, Xs and Os is everything, so baseball is getting the most out of what you’ve got, and the guys that are successful in this business do that. Your top managers, that’s what they do. And then they’re smart enough, I believe, to get out of the way and let those guys ‑‑ you can’t control everything in this business. That’s why you see talented teams win and less talented lose. Turn them loose and let them use their skills.
Q. A lot of times when you bring good players together, they don’t always match.
JOHN GIBBONS: No doubt, yeah.
Q. So that’s part of the job, too.
JOHN GIBBONS: That’s a big part of it, yeah. A lot of new faces. Everybody has got to be looking for the same goal, and that’s to win. You’d like that to always be the case, but different teams that’s not always the case.
So we’ve got to make sure we get that out of them, and I think we will. But it should be fun. But there’s no substitute for talent in this business, and so going in we’ve got a lot of talent. That’s why we feel really good.
Q. Is it going to be tough on you not having at least Lawrie and Reyes all Spring Training because of the World Baseball Classic and maybe some other guys?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, you’d rather have it the other way, but it’s been very successful. It gives them a chance to represent their countries. But you’d rather have it the other way because you want them doing their normal routine instead of going off and just playing games. But nothing you can do about it.
Q. Would you have anything to say about Bautista, whether he plays or not?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, I know the team’s, the ballclub’s, talked to him about it might be smart not to. But if you get a chance to represent your country, that’s kind of tough to get in the way of that. But you’re still ‑‑ your player is still your number one responsibility. So whatever that means.
Q. There’s been a lot of talk about expanding instant replay after some of the things that have happened. What’s your view on that?
JOHN GIBBONS: You know, I wouldn’t get carried away with it because I think that’s one of the beauties of the game is the human element. The umpires, they don’t miss a lot. Maybe fair or foul balls down the lines would be something I would look at to go along with the home runs. But as far as trapped balls and things like ‑‑ I don’t know, now you’re getting ‑‑ expanding it any more than that, I think it would mess up the game too much.
Like I said, these guys are pretty good at what they do. When you slow those things down and actually see it. But we all make mistakes out there. That’s one of the beauties of baseball. The human element can get in the way sometimes.
Gregor Chisholm
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