Jays Set to Hire Charlie Montoyo As New Manager

[Michael]

Impressed by the way the Tampa Bay Rays use data in their decision-making on and off the field, the Toronto Blue Jays are set to hire Charlie Montoyo away from their American League East rivals to be their new manager according to an industry source.

The decision, perhaps the most important made in Ross Atkins' three years as GM thus far, comes on the same day Rocco Baldelli, another finalist from the analytically advanced club, was hired by the Minnesota Twins to replace the fired Paul Molitor.

David Bell, hired Sunday by the Cincinnati Reds Chicago Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, and Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada were the other known finalists for the Blue Jays' vacancy.

Montoyo, a 53-year-old from Florida, Puerto Rico who was in Toronto on Tuesday for an in-person interview, takes over from the departed John Gibbons and will give a rebuilding Blue Jays team a new and much different leader.

He also gives them a bilingual voice at the helm at a time when young Latino players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., are on the verge of becoming key parts of the franchise.

SportsNet

[Joe]

Other than speaking Spanish (and maybe that's what they wanted) I don't understand how he's any different than gibbons in what he has to offer.

[Nik]

Other than speaking Spanish (and maybe that's what they wanted) I don't understand how he's any different than gibbons in what he has to offer.

Other than maybe being more analytically inclined I don't think the Jays were likely to hire anyone whose resume was going to scream anything drastically different than Gibbons.

Someone like Molitor may have been more of a name or maybe they'd have gotten someone with more of a track record but ultimately neither of those things speak much to potential results either.

[hockeyfan1]

Montoyo is no stranger to Canada, having spent some time with the Expos and also in Triple A Ottawa.

Obviously, he was chosen for more than a reason over other reasons:

WHY HE APPEALED TO THE BLUE JAYS

In addition to being bilingual, which should help him deal with some of the top prospects in the Blue Jays' system, as Sportsnet's Shi Davidi pointed out, he comes from a Tampa Bay team with whom Blue Jays management was impressed when it comes to how they use data in decision-making both on and off the field.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/person-interest-new-blue-jays-manager-charlie-montoyo/

Call him Gibbons 2.0.

[herman]

https://theathletic.com/629996/2018/11/05/hes-the-model-manager-charlie-montoyos-many-friends-in-baseball-on-why-the-jays-made-the-perfect-choice/

Apparently everyone in baseball loves him (as a person, not just a baseball thing).

He sounds like the type of manager you'd want if you're rebuilding the team with developing young players. Former mentor of Vlad Sr., and now going to manage Vlad Jr.

[sickbeast]

This is just another cost cutting measure by Shapiro and Atkins.  I have lost all interest in the team.  I'll watch a bit to see Vlad Jr. but I'm not going to pay to go see the games.  And I will find better things to do when they are on television.

[Nik]

Is Montoyo making less than Gibbons?

[L K]

Is Montoyo making less than Gibbons?

I haven't seen a salary anywhere but I would imagine a 53 year old rookie manager would be making less.

[bustaheims]

Is Montoyo making less than Gibbons?

Probably, but, probably not by a hugely significant amount. Certainly not enough to label it a cost-cutting measure.

[Nik]

I haven't seen a salary anywhere but I would imagine a 53 year old rookie manager would be making less.

That would be my hunch as well but it seems like an oddly strong position to take on a hunch.