TORONTO – Charlie Montoyo wasn’t entirely sure what to think when he first heard that the Toronto Blue Jays wanted to talk to him.
It was Oct. 21, three weeks after the regular season had ended, and Rays GM Erik Neander called to relay the news.
“Really?” Montoyo joked with Neander. “You don’t want me anymore? What did I do?”
The Rays did want to keep Montoyo, their bench coach and longtime minor-league manager, but now they had competition from a division rival: the Blue Jays were seriously interested in making him their big-league manager.
Montoyo was on the phone with the Blue Jays’ front office for seven or eight hours last Monday before flying to Toronto Tuesday for in-person interviews. On a schedule that tight, there was almost no time to prepare.
“I couldn’t,” Montoyo said. “It happened that fast.”
Then on Thursday Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins called and offered Montoyo the job he worked toward for 18 minor-league seasons. He quickly accepted then made a call of his own.
“Sit down,” he told his parents when they answered. “I’ve got to tell you something.”
Just eight days after the Blue Jays began conversations with Montoyo, Atkins introduced the 53-year-old as the 13th manager in franchise history. Here are some highlights from the introductory press conference…
SEEKING INFORMATION
Despite the occasional suggestion that analytics and scouting are somehow incompatible in baseball, that hasn’t been the case for years. Analytics are here to stay, an essential part of the decision making for every big-league front office and coaching staff. The question isn’t whether a manager uses analytics, but rather how he uses them. On that front, Montoyo expressed an openness to all sources of information.
“I’m a blend of old-school and analytics. I think using both makes you a better manager,” he said. “Wherever I can find useful information, that’s where I’m going to go.”
Montoyo stressed that he’ll rely on his coaching staff, look at the numbers and rely on his own experience while making decisions.
“I don’t have all of the answers,” he said. “I’m always looking for useful information.”
The Rays used the ‘opener’ to great effect with Montoyo as bench coach, but he said the Blue Jays would only adopt the same strategy if it worked with their roster. As for defence, the Rays are one of many teams that provide their outfielders and catchers with index cards loaded with key in-game information. While Montoyo didn’t confirm as much, the Blue Jays are expected to do far more of that in 2019.
Regardless of the specific strategy, the Blue Jays view Montoyo as someone who will be open to innovative ways of gaining an edge.
“That’s one thing I can tell you from being with the Rays,” Montoyo said. “Some of those things work.”
CHOOSING A COACHING STAFF
Among the next orders of business for the Blue Jays: finalizing the coaching staff that will work with Montoyo. He’ll have seven coaches, and the current staff will be considered along with outsiders. If bench coach DeMarlo Hale doesn’t return in the same role, he could be offered another position within the organization.
Montoyo also had a message for the minor-league coaches grinding away with little fanfare.
“Just keep doing your job and teaching those players,” he said. “You never know. If a guy like me got here, it could be you, too. Don’t think ahead, just think about your job at hand… who knows, you might be a big-league manager one day.”
RESPECT FOR GIBBONS
Years of coaching in the AL East allowed Montoyo to get to know John Gibbons, the man he eventually replaced as Blue Jays manager.
“He’s a great guy,” Montoyo said. “Everybody loves Gibby. I like to run and Gibby–well, every time I saw Gibby he was walking, he wasn’t running, but he’ll stop for a minute and I’ll stop from running.
“I’ll say ‘Gibby, how are you’ and with how nice he is he’ll tell you ‘you guys are doing a good job this year.’ We all like Gibby. He’s a great guy and he did a great job here.”
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MONTOYO THE PERSON
Among the factors that drew Atkins to Montoyo: not only did his Rays colleagues speak highly of him, he even impressed his adversaries from across the field as a minor-league manager.
“They would always talk about his competitiveness. They would always talk about his leadership,” Atkins said. “And they would always, always talk about the person and the character and how good a person he was.”
CONNECTIONS TO GUERRERO
Montoyo hasn’t seen Vladimir Guerrero Jr. play yet, but he played with his father in the Expos’ minor-league system and considers Vlad Sr. one of the two best prospects he has ever seen along with Josh Hamilton. More than two decades later, he’s looking forward to seeing the next generation impact the major-leagues.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun to manage his kid,” he said.
BULLISH ON JAYS’ TALENT
Asked to assess the Blue Jays, Montoyo said Toronto’s roster reminds him of the surprising Tampa Bay team that just won 90 games in 2018.
“Good looking players, that’s what I saw from the other side,” Montoyo said. “A lot of younger guys. It’s a great spot to teach. This is an exciting team.”
On paper, the Blue Jays’ roster has some significant issues, but when presented with the idea that the Blue Jays are likely facing another long season in 2019, Montoyo pushed back.
“Really?” he asked. “I don’t think that way. We’re going to play to win from the beginning.”
Sounds optimistic, but that’s what you’d hope for from a manager on day one. Soon enough Montoyo will have the chance to prove it; spring training’s only three and a half months away.
