John Gibbons doesn’t like what he sees on the basepaths from his team so far this spring.
The Toronto Blue Jays manager, who was hired for his second stint with the club back in November, said he would like his players to be more cautious and to get back to baserunning fundamentals they first learned as kids.
“I’m still a little disappointed with some of the things we’ve done,” Gibbons said Friday on the Jeff Blair Show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “We’ve only played seven or eight games but we’ve done some things on the bases that aren’t good. Stuff that’s Baseball 101 you learn as a kid. You know, not making the third out at third base.”
Gibbons didn’t mention any examples specifically but the Blue Jays manager has already noticed some striking baserunning mistakes that have irked him during exhibition play.
“We’ve talked about it and we’ve addressed that,” he said. “Those things shouldn’t happen. I don’t care whether it’s Spring Training or whether it’s September, that’s just basic baseball. Getting trapped off second on a ball back through the middle with no outs, you just can’t have that. That’s really what I’m looking at.
“We talked about it as a team the other day. What gets you sometimes is the morning you talk about it and the game rolls around three hours later and the same thing happens. That’s the thing what can’t happen. Either you’re not listening or not paying attention or you’re not very smart. Good teams play basic, good fundamental baseball. We got to gamble sometimes. Know the score and know when you got to be more careful. If there’s any doubt in your mind, just stop.”
Under former manager John Farrell, the Blue Jays preached aggressiveness on the bases but the team ran themselves into too many outs in critical situations last year.
“That’s kind of been the focus after last year,” he explained. “Just hearing from (the media) and other people in the organization how sloppy they were on the basepaths.”
While Gibbons does not appear to prefer the same approach as Farrell, he is a big believer in the team’s speed and will not be hesitant to send his players at the right time.
“That’s going to be a big part of our team all year,” Gibbons said. “Like they say, speed never runs into slumps. Those guys wreak havoc on the defence. They put pressure on you all the time. They can score so many different ways. We’re trying to get to the post-season. That’s the kind of thing that wins. We’re going to take advantage of it.
“In a lot of ways, those guys are really unstoppable….That’s a bad feeling if you’re on the other side.”
Overall, Gibbons said he’s been pleased with what he’s seen out of his team in the early parts of camp. The Blue Jays are getting closer to finalizing their 25-man roster, but still have some positions up for grabs.
Gibbons said while the majority of the team is basically already decided, there are still openings in the bullpen, at catcher, and determining who the starter will be at second base.
“(There’s the) long guy coming out of the bullpen,” he said. “We’re looking there. If Casey (Janssen) is a week or two late then we’ll need an extra guy in the pen. There’s the backup catching role and then deciding what we want to do at second base. Either give it to one guy or split up. See where we’re strongest.”
At second, the two options are Maicier Izturis and Emilio Bonifacio, two players who have failed to settle at one position in their big-league career.
Izturis and Bonifacio both offer the speed and versatility that Gibbons and GM Alex Anthopoulos look for in players so the battle could be determined by their ability to play consistent defence.
“One thing we need out of the middle infield spots is consistency,” said Gibbons. “We need the outs. We need to turn double plays when they’re there. The baseball gods punish you at this level if you don’t execute the way you are supposed to. Defence has got to be a primary focus out there for the middle infielders.”
The Blue Jays continue their exhibition schedule when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Dunedin Friday afternoon.
