WORST TO FIRST: How the Blue Jays changed the narrative and are reaping the results

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The numbers drive the narrative so deeply in modern baseball that sometimes they take away from the more important story itself.

Most assuredly, more than other major professional team sport, advanced analytics rule the game and those teams that find a blend to translating the numbers into an on-field performance edge can certainly reap the rewards.

But what happens when a motivated group of players worries less about the numbers and more about winning as a team? Perhaps the surging, scintillating Toronto Blue Jays are the latest to hit upon the ultimate winning formula that goes above and beyond the fancy stats.

“It’s a bunch of brothers,” said George Springer, in some ways the leading man in terms of much of what is going right for this team, topping the squad in home runs with 16 and seemingly in big-game moments as well. “It’s guys who are pulling for one another. No one is above the team. It’s about (the name) on the front and not the back.

“Any time you have everybody going in the same direction like that, it’s something special. Obviously there’s still a long way to go, but to have that amongst us is an awesome feeling.”

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The numbers that matter the most now are bordering on staggering and, in the past week especially, have vaulted the Jays into the biggest story in baseball.

That all-for-one mindset has paid massive dividends for the Jays through 91 games. The 53 wins through that portion of the season are their most in more than 30 years through that many games and have them on pace for 94.

In the moment, the sizzling play has given the Jays a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East heading into Tuesday’s action.

It has galvanized and inspired a group that, frankly, had been frustrated both with management and their own performance over the past couple of years. It has enraptured a strong and loyal coast-to-coast fan base.

Consider that, at their core, players aren’t in love with all that goes with the modern approach. Most will understand the value of analytics, but if it sometimes bogs down the ultimate goal — winning games and chasing a World Series — it can become a burden.

Cleaner lines of communication and a more pragmatic approach by manager John Schneider have helped build a foundation of trust in a clubhouse that didn’t always have it.

“I would say it’s the culture we’ve been able to build here,” starting pitcher Chris Bassitt said when asked to describe what is going on with a group that has skyrocketed from last place in October to first the following July. “It’s taken a while.”

Yes, it has.

The lingering effects of two years ago, when starting pitcher Jose Berrios was removed from a playoff game in Minnesota after three innings despite pitching his heart out, was a flashpoint. The fallout persisted through the 2024 season and, when performance turned sour, so did the mindset.

To their credit, the Jays addressed the communication breakdowns in the off-season and, more than any other time in the era of general manager Ross Atkins, have all the key constituencies on the same page.

“I think myself and (bench coach Don Mattingly) and (associate manager DeMarlo Hale) have done a much better job of looking at objective numbers and using them and then using our baseball sense to say what’s right for this guy right now,” Schneider said.

“There are times when numbers are just glaring at you, whether it’s head-to-head or projected numbers, those things help. But I think we’ve done a much better job of being in touch with the guys and kind of feeling out when is a good time for them.”

To use a buzzword propagated by the Jays, it has been a ‘process’ to arrive at this point. In the messy aftermath of last year’s last-place season, there were some uncomfortable conversations needed and eventually worked through.

When the team arrived at Dunedin in February, there was a sense that the players, coaches and management were aligned and lines of communication, clogged as they were in the past, were much clearer.

“I think we kind of arrived there together,” Schneider said. “Where the game is today, when you have a good, healthy back-and-forth, you can arrive at a place where you can ask questions. Whether its me or the front office or back and forth, everyone respects the answer. I’m fortunate to where if I disagree with them, it’s not ‘change the lineup.’ It’s: ‘OK, we’re on board. Let’s go.”

FRESH ATTITUDE

It’s one thing to say things are going to be different. It’s quite another to transform organically.

For the Jays, in the waning days of last year’s miserable 74-88 season, there was a reckoning. Players were pissed, coaches were looking for answers and management was charged with he task of turning things around in a hurry.

Bassitt perhaps summed it up best when we spoke during spring training.

“I was mad at myself. I was mad at every veteran in this room. I was mad at every coach,” he said in March. “I was mad at everybody because I was like: ‘How did we get here? I came here to compete for a World Series and we’re settling for this?’ That’s not why I came here. So, yeah, I would say every person was mad.

“It was not a good feeling for any of the veterans here. It was not fun.”

Fast-forward to now where in less than two weeks, the Jays soared from three games out of the division lead to 3.5 games in front. They’re playing with enthusiasm. They’re playing with contributions up and down the lineup from unheralded players and the big names alike. And they’re doing it all with contributions from would-be key pieces such as Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho.

“Once I wake up, I just can’t wait to get to the field with my teammates,” Vlad Guerrero Jr. told reporters in Chicago on Monday. “It’s been unbelievable. It’s what any manager wants — a team like that and a culture like that.”

Of course, nothing can generate a winning culture faster than a prolific winning streak, but it is becoming clearer by the day that the vibes run deeper than results.

So when did it take root? We asked Springer during the recent homestand after yet another of his big performances.

“I don’t know if there’s a certain day or time or play or game where it happened,” Springer said. “I think it started last year at some point, then all through the spring and early in the year when we had a hard schedule. Guys understood the assignment and understood that you just keep plugging along.

“And now here we are.”

‘DON’T GIVE A BLEEP’

Coping mechanisms are necessary to deal with the exhausting grind of a 162-game season, a marathon schedule that almost guarantees to serve up a steady swing of highs and lows. Watching the standings on a daily basis is a fool’s game, as is getting too high on a win streak and too low from the alternative.

What Schneider has seen develop in his clubhouse is a resilience that is a manager’s dream.

“These guys have demonstrated time after time that they really don’t give a s***,” Schneider said. “I’m proud of the way they are moving on from things, good and bad. They’re really, really good at just moving on.”

There’s also a vested feeling of empowerment when players feel as though they have a say in their work. They may not control all of the decisions, but they can have a say via strong play, a good attitude and positive results.

“The players just live it and they drive it,” Schneider said. “It has to happen organically. It’s a really good feeling for me sitting here and for the coaches because that’s what you try to do all the time. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s a cool feeling when you have a group and they all kind of say the same thing.

“You try to nudge and you try to encourage, and then when it happens, you let them do it.”

As Guerrero notes, it has fostered a winning mindset. When the hero is often someone different every day, all the better.

“Just the way we’re playing, holding each other accountable on the field and off the field,” Bassitt said. “We’re getting rewarded for playing the game the right way and playing the game hard.

“It’s just an old-school approach of how to play the game. We have a lot of talented guys and when you have a lot of talented guys play the way we’re playing, it’s hard to beat.”

SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS?

Reaching definitive conclusions on a team 91 games into a 162-game season is risky business.

But among the many benefits of a nine-game winning streak following Monday’s win over the White Sox in Chicago, taking a team 15 games above .500 are many. High among them is a cushion that can help weather future dips in results that are almost inevitable.

“It gives you a little bit of an ability to exhale and take a deep breath,” Schneider said. “What I love about this stretch is that there are so many things we can fall back on when we do hit a rough patch to say: ‘Let’s just get back to doing this or two out of these three things, and we’ll get back on track.'”

Now that the results have followed, Schneider is of the mind that the style of play and the wide range of contributors have made the success endurable.

On one night, it might be Springer adding to his team-leading home run total. On the next, it could be the emerging power of Addison Barger flashing again. Or Nathan Lukes with a big hit from the leadoff spot. Or Bo Bichette making an error one inning and bouncing back with a solo home run the next.

And on it goes.

“We can do things a different way every night, you know, and I think that makes it pretty sustainable,” Schneider said. “We need that. When we look at years past, it wasn’t 26 guys doing it every day. The grind of 162, you’re going to need some options.”

Schneider credits the Blue Jays infrastructure below the big leagues, a shift in the player development structure that has helped players arriving in the Toronto clubhouse be ready to contribute.

“The transition they’ve made on the minor-league side in terms of development has helped,” Schneider said.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR?

It’s not a stretch to suggest that it was an off-season of reckoning for the Jays and it went top down from the front office, to the manager’s suite, to the players.

The job Schneider has done navigating those challenges — and evolving on the job — has been critical to the transformation in mindset.

And for a guy who has endured more than his share of criticism since replacing Charlie Montoyo three years ago next week, has the time arrived to at least insert Schneider into the conversation for American League manager of the year?

Detroit skipper A.J. Hinch may be the frontrunner, but if the Jays continue on this path and go from last to first, Schneider will at least garner some consideration.

“More than anything, it takes reps from me,” Schneider said of his own evolution. “To say this is what is right or this is what you feel is right — a lot of times it’s the same thing. A couple of years into this job, I’ve arrived at a good back-and-forth with everyone — between front office and staff and players.

“I won’t say educating the players on it. But I think explaining to them the ‘why’ days beforehand and it’s easier for them to be ready.”

Under Schneider’s stewardship, the staff has done a terrific job getting players to buy in. The idea was that if the coaches wanted the players to be better, they determined they needed to be a stronger as well.

The result has been that team-first philosophy where players are motivated to be better both for themselves (and the recognition and cash that comes with it) and for the team.

“I don’t think you have to say much,” Schneider said. “I think that you have to just be very aware of the mental and physical workload that goes into those games and maybe adjust the prep a little bit.”

BY GEORGE

To make a complete transformation from last-place misery to division contender, the Jays likely needed a breakout performance from an unlikely source.

Welcome back to game-changing performance, George Springer.

The rejuvenation of the former Astros star has been a massive development for the Jays. Prior to Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s mammoth $500-million US contract extension, Springer’s six-year, $150-million deal was the richest in team history.

Springer was signed to help transform the team into one capable of playoff success, to lead the young guns to the post-season promised land. The way things went in Year 5 of the deal in 2024, it looked like Springer’s meaningful contributions were behind him.

Instead, yet another reset with this team has been revolutionary.

“I think the biggest thing for me is I’ve kind of learned how to handle the failure, the ups and downs,” Springer said. “It’s not always about getting a hit, it’s the process. Ultimately, I believe that.”

While there were surely doubts if Springer would ever return to form, Schneider vows he never dismissed the positive influence the former World Series MVP could have on the team.

“I remember a couple of years ago, George was talking to the group about September baseball, playoff baseball and the way to approach it,” Schneider said. “I think that he’s at the point where he can do that every day. He’s a big-time player.

“When you think about George being productive, this is what you envision. I remember in spring training saying: ‘Hey George, I don’t want you to hit 40 home runs, I want you to be a productive at bat throughout this lineup.'”

Adds pitcher Kevin Gausman: “He can completely take over a game and, when he’s locked in, he’ll do that for an entire series. The talent is still there.”

Beyond the raw numbers, the biggest benefit may be how younger players are feeding off of Springer’s performance. It’s one thing to be a leader by past reputation. It’s quite another to lead by example.

“When a guy liked that does this, it trickles down to everyone else,” Schneider said. “It really does. We have some big name players and when they are having success, it just allows everyone else to be a little bit more free.”

FANDEMONIUM

The four-game sweep of the Yankees over Canada Day week was the unquestioned high point for a fan base that has stayed loyal to the Jays since the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

But it’s fair to note that the vibes are the highest that they’ve been in almost a decade.

Even with the encouragement of reaching the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, the team wasn’t always easy to embrace. The defence-first emphasis, the modest run output and the playoff failures certainly bred a restlessness in the fan base.

Playing with energy and enthusiasm, the 2025 version has fired up a fan base that has longed for exactly these kind of results since the promise of Guerrero and Bichette and some of the big signings since Springer formed the blueprint.

And then there are the contributions from young players throughout the lineup, an injection of enthusiasm inside and outside of the clubhouse.

“You really have to commend these young guys for what they’ve done,” Gausman said. “Whenever they’re called upon, to play a different position … all these guys are pretty resilient guys. They kind of like being in the dirt.”

The enthusiasm is contagious.

“It’s kind of fun to watch them get excited,” Gausman said. “Some of us old guys, it’s a little bit different (at this point in their careers.) So it’s nice to just watch these guys kind of play with their hair on fire.”

As we’ve seen throughout the hot streak, the Jays are feeding off the frenzy of success and having fun doing it. The crowds have responded and there’s almost an anticipation of who will be the next to come through for a win.

“I think it helps for sure,” Schneider said of the rocking Rogers Centre. “Guys enjoy playing in front of crowds like that. It’s been pretty cool.”