Jays' new manager to mix old-school approach with analytics
Charlie Montoyo was officially unveiled as the Toronto Blue Jays new manager at a press conference at Rogers Centre on Monday afternoon. Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton, USA Today Sports
By Cole Shelton
Canadian Baseball Network
Charlie Montoyo is now at the helm.
The Toronto Blue Jays officially introduced their new manager on Monday afternoon at the Rogers Centre.
Montoyo, 53, signed a three-year pact to manage the club during its rebuilding years.
The choice of Montoyo seemed to come out of nowhere. The former bench coach of the Tampa Bay Rays was only interviewed a week prior to being hired, but he clearly impressed general manager Ross Atkins.
Now, with Montoyo in charge, it will be interesting to see how he will manage this roster. There’s no question that Toronto is a rebuilding team and will be a young club next season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.), Bo Bichette and other prospects are coming. Montoyo has never managed a big league game before, but he appears to be ready.
His resume is impressive; he has managed in the minors and was one of the best. How that will translate to the majors is a question that needs to be answered. What is certain though is that Montoyo will use analytics to help his decision making.
“I wouldn’t say that (I’m an analytics convert), I’m a blend of old school and analytics,” Montoyo said to reporters at his introductory press conference. “Using both, I think, makes you a better manager. I wouldn’t say I’m one way or the other. Wherever, I can find useful information, that’s where I’m going to go, and that’s why it’s going to be so big when we get our coaching staff and then talk about it.”
Montoyo says he considers himself a blend.
“A lot of times analytics are giving you what you knew already by managing,” Montoyo added. “I’m going to have seven coaches. I’m going to use that information, that analytics side, my gut feeling, and then we’re going to make a decision. That’s how I’m going to do it, not just one way or the other. Looking at this team from the outside, it almost reminds me of the team we had in Tampa.
Montoyo spent over 20 years in the Rays organization which is heavy into the analytical side. Tampa Bay is considered the pioneer of analytics. But while Montoyo was around that, he has also been around the game long enough to know it isn’t all about stats.
“People do it right now because there are numbers,” the new manager said. “That’s one thing I can tell you that I learned with the Rays, that some of those things work. You’ve got to make an adjustment. It’s a game of adjustments.”
Toronto is ready for Montoyo to take over the reins. John Gibbons was a players’ manager and someone who was considered “old-school.” Montoyo resembles Gibbons a tiny bit, but a fresher face with some new ideas that will embrace the analytics is obviously something Atkins and company were looking for.
Montoyo is ready to take charge. No one knows what his staff will be or how he will manage a game. Some say he will follow the Rays’ strategy of using an ‘opener’ but for Montoyo, he wants to show he can manage his own game.
“Just because I came from Tampa Bay doesn’t mean we’re going to do everything they did there,” said Montoyo. “We’re a different team and we’re going to adjust to what we have. When you guys talk about openers and all that stuff, it doesn’t mean that’s what we're going to do. We’re going to get everybody and talk about (it) and go from there.”
Montoyo has made a good impression so far, but he has yet to manage a big league game. And until he does, questions will linger about if he was the right choice. According to many, he should be.