TORONTO — Soon after the Cleveland Indians drafted John McDonald he got a call from his new farm director. McDonald, a 12th-round pick, wasn’t exactly a top prospect in 1996, but Mark Shapiro reached out nonetheless to discuss McDonald’s strengths and weaknesses on the field and set expectations for the coming season.
At the time, McDonald didn’t think much of it. But after 16 seasons with eight different organizations, he realized not all 12th-round selections get that kind of treatment.
“That level of communication at that time was kind of unprecedented,” said McDonald, now a special assistant to player development for Cleveland. “I know [Shapiro’s] kept that same philosophy as his roles have changed throughout the years.”
Combined with decades of experience, those communication skills distinguish Shapiro, who was officially named Paul Beeston’s successor as Blue Jays president Monday. Shapiro won’t officially start until after the season, at which point Beeston will officially retire.
“I am happy to pass him the baton — but not just yet,” Beeston said in a Rogers Communications Inc. statement. “Alex [Anthopoulos], the team, and I have a little more work to do and we’re focused on putting more Ws in the win column.”
For now, Shapiro will watch from afar. He’s not talking about his new team just yet, but he’ll surely be watching as the Blue Jays attempt to end MLB’s longest playoff drought with a team seemingly peaking at the right time.
Meanwhile, the Indians are faced with the loss of a longtime executive whose tenure began in 1992 and included nine seasons as GM. Shapiro’s best move was arguably the 2002 trade that landed Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee for Bartolo Colon, and he followed it up by locking up the likes of Lee, Sizemore, CC Sabathia, Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez to team-friendly contract extensions worth $23.45 million or less. Thanks in large part to those deals the Indians won 90-plus games twice under Shapiro, in 2005 and 2007.
But the Indians, now in Toronto for three games against the streaking Blue Jays, say Shapiro’s resume doesn’t fully capture the impact he can have on an organization. Asked what distinguishes Shapiro, Indians manager Terry Francona echoed McDonald.
“We don’t have enough time,” Francona said. “This guy is a combination of intelligent probably bordering on … he’s that smart. But he takes that intelligence and he’s very driven and organized. And you take it with the people skills … a pretty nice combination.”
Francona describes Shapiro as a dynamic speaker with the ability to make any topic interesting — even the typically tedious organizational meetings that can test coaches’ patience.
“Two minutes into it you see guys reaching for pencils because they want to take notes,” Francona said.
Those same coaches met with Shapiro Sunday in a meeting described by Francona as thoughtful and emotional. “The happiness for Mark outweighs how much we’re going to miss him,” the manager said.
The Blue Jays aren’t nearly as familiar with Shapiro, whose business background includes work on MLB committees and renovations on Cleveland’s Progressive Field. Manager John Gibbons met him once years ago and knows he’s regarded as ‘pretty sharp,’ but the two aren’t close. Even so Shapiro appears to be able to make connections quickly.
“He’s not afraid to ask ‘how do we do this better,’” McDonald said. “There’s not a lot of ego involved, which helps him grow as a person.”
A wide range of unresolved questions will welcome Shapiro to Toronto when Beeston’s contract expires October 31. The Blue Jays must determine whether to pursue David Price in free agency, bolster a starting rotation that includes four potential free agents and weigh contract extensions for some top players. Anthopoulos isn’t under contract beyond this year, so the Blue Jays must lock him up, assuming they’re pleased with the team that ranks second in the American League in wins. And Shapiro will have to navigate renovations to Rogers Centre and business deals in his new role. There’s plenty of work ahead.
Still, with just 32 regular season games remaining, the Blue Jays remain focused on the present. Off-season talk can wait until the off-season this year. And at that point the glowing reviews out of Cleveland suggest the Blue Jays’ new president will be up to the challenges ahead.