Blue Jays announce 2022 coaching staff
Pete Walker will return as the Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach this season.
March 12, 2022
Official Toronto Blue Jays News Release
The Toronto Blue Jays have announced the club’s Major League coaching staff under Manager Charlie Montoyo.
Joining the staff or assuming a new role for the 2022 campaign are:
-John Schneider, Bench Coach
-Gil Kim, Field Coordinator
-Dave Hudgens, Major League Hitting Strategist
-Hunter Mense, Assistant Hitting Coach and Minor League Hitting Coordinator
-David Howell, Major League Pitching Strategist
-Adam Yudelman, Major League Coach
-Luis Hurtado, Major League Bullpen Catcher
Remaining in their current roles are Mark Budzinski (First Base Coach), Matt Buschmann (Bullpen Coach and Director of Pitching Development), Guillermo Martinez (Hitting Coach), Luis Rivera (Third Base Coach), Pete Walker (Pitching Coach), and Alex Andreopoulos (Major League Bullpen Catcher).
John Schneider will serve as Bench Coach following three seasons as Major League Coach. The native of Princeton, N.J., begins his 13th season with the organization, having started his coaching career as Hitting Coach with the GCL Blue Jays in 2008. He went on to manage at five different Minor League levels over the next decade, winning championships with Vancouver, Dunedin, and New Hampshire. Schneider was selected by Toronto in the 13th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Delaware and played six seasons in the organization.
As Field Coordinator, Gil Kim will be responsible for coordinating daily schedules, practice designs, individual development plans, and player communication. Kim joined the Blue Jays in 2016 as Director, Player Development, and expanded his duties to the Major League coaching staff in 2020. He spent seven seasons with the Texas Rangers in several scouting roles, culminating as Director, International Scouting. Kim also had a three-year career as an infielder, playing in five professional leagues across five different countries.
In his new role, Dave Hudgens will shift his focus to the offensive side of the game as Major League Hitting Strategist. Along with Guillermo Martinez and Hunter Mense, he will work with individual hitters on their offensive skills and competition approach. Hudgens spent the last three seasons as the team’s Bench Coach and prior to that, served as Hitting Coach in Houston for four seasons. The Arizona State University product played six seasons in Oakland and Cleveland’s systems and reached the Majors with the Athletics in 1983. He began his coaching career in the Minors in 1985 and has been on various Major League staffs since 1999.
In his new role as Assistant Hitting Coach & Minor League Hitting Coordinator, Hunter Mense will focus on swing mechanics and drill design, working alongside Guillermo Martinez, Dave Hudgens, and Gil Kim on hitting development plans for players. Mense spent the last three seasons as Minor League Hitting Coordinator, following the 2018 season with Double-A New Hampshire as Hitting Coach. He spent six seasons as Assistant Coach at the University of Missouri before joining the San Diego Padres in 2017 as the Hitting Coach for Short-Season Tri-City.
David Howell joins the big league coaching staff as Major League Pitching Strategist, responsible for conducting research and analysis to help further the club’s understanding of pitcher success. The native of Cokato, Minn., spent the 2021 season as Complex Pitching Coach and for the 2020 campaign, served as Development Coach at the alternate training site in Rochester, NY. Prior to joining the Blue Jays, Howell spent time with Louisiana State University as a Graduate Assistant and served as an intern with Driveline Baseball.
In the role of Major League Coach, Adam Yudelman will be focused on developing consistency throughout Major League staff game day routines. Over the course of a season, he will act as the point-person for data-driven evaluation and strategic recommendations. Yudelman is starting his seventh season with the Blue Jays, having previously worked as Coordinator, Baseball Research.
As Major League Bullpen Catcher, Luis Hurtado will work with Alex Andreopoulos to prepare and develop the team’s catchers. Last season, Hurtado served as Manager of the Dunedin Blue Jays and prior to that, managed at Rookie-level Bluefield and for the GCL Blue Jays. Hurtado played seven seasons in the Blue Jays system, reaching Triple-A Las Vegas in 2011.
Additionally, the 2022 Major League training staff is as follows:
-Jose Ministral, Head Athletic Trainer
-Voon Chong, Major League First Assistant Athletic Trainer
-Drew MacDonald, Major League Second Assistant Athletic Trainer
-John Biggar, Major League Physical Therapist
-Jeremy Chiang, Head of Nutrition
-Todd Earl, Sports Massage
-Jimmy Van Ostrand (Vancouver, B.C.), Major League Mental Performance Coach
-Scott Weberg, Head Major League Strength and Conditioning Coach
-Jeremy Trach, Major League Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
-Se Hong Jang, Performance Coach