How Blue Jays coaches are adapting to team’s new phase

TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays outfield instructor Mark Budzinski is putting in some extra work with rookie Steward Berroa. Budzinski is standing near second base during batting practice, hitting balls on the ground to right field where Berroa is giving chase. As soon as the coach takes a swing, he’ll quickly drop his bat and slip on his glove before standing on the bag to receive the throw.

This process repeats for a while before Berroa’s work is wrapped up and he heads to the infield. Budzinski’s coaching is not done, though. He walks back to the dugout alongside the 25-year-old Berroa, offering thoughts and instruction.

Berroa, who spent most of the season in triple-A, has been trying to improve his throwing accuracy and that’s the focus of this conversation. The outfielder is so tuned in to his coach’s words that you can almost see his eyes light up.

Budzinski is matching that enthusiasm and becomes demonstrative, at one point getting low to mimic the action of fielding a ball before turning his body to deliver a mock throw.

MLB on Sportsnet

Watch the Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays Central pre-game, marquee MLB matchups, Jays in 30, original documentaries, the wild card, divisional series, championship series and entire World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

Broadcast schedule

That scene earlier this week at Rogers Centre is reflective of the shift the Blue Jays’ coaching staff has experienced. As the club has fallen out of contention, the roster has changed with the integration of younger players who are auditioning for the future. With that, coaches such as Budzinski, infield instructor Carlos Febles and others have had to adapt.

“We’re still trying to win every game we can,” Budzinski says. “Whether you’re in first place or last place, you’re always still trying to win that day. But also, we have some guys who are rookies in the big leagues right now. And so, there’s a lot more focus for those guys on development.”

That’s not a negative, though. Far from it. An infusion of youth can also be invigorating for a coach.

“I’m a teacher. I love teaching,” Febles says. “It’s fun because you get the young players in the big leagues and they bring a lot of energy. The work ethic is always good. They want to prove themselves, they want to showcase themselves and they will do whatever we ask them to do.”

The complexion of the Blue Jays roster has transformed dramatically since June. Cavan Biggio was designated for assignment and Bo Bichette got injured while Justin Turner, Kevin Kiermaier, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Danny Jansen were all shipped to contending clubs ahead of the trade deadline.

That has in turn created space and playing time for a bevy of rookies including Berroa, Addison Barger, Joey Loperfido, Leo Jimenez, Luis De Los Santos and Spencer Horwitz.

Febles, who’s in his first year with the Blue Jays after spending seven years as a coach with the Boston Red Sox, says part of his job includes stepping up to match the youthful exuberance of his new players.

“As a coach you have to set the tone,” he says. “This is a demanding game. If you demand hard work and demand energy, you have to bring the energy yourself. If I tell the guys, ‘You have to work hard,’ and I don’t work hard, what are they going to say? So, to me, it’s like you have to bring what you demand.”

The level of instruction from coaches can vary depending on the player. It could be something as granular as teaching them where to line up for cutoffs or where to deliver relay throws, both elements that a veteran would have nailed down.

“Sometimes maybe a player doesn’t know, or a situation just hasn’t come up for them in the minor leagues,” says Budzinski. “And sometimes, in the big leagues, there’s a lot going on. There’s a little more stress in the moment and then you just don’t think about it. Our goal is to prepare them ahead of time so that when those plays do happen, the right decision is made.”

There are also occasions where the coaching staff will need to be more hands-on. Horowitz, for example, might need a little more guidance because he’s learning how to play second base in the majors, whereas Jimenez is a more seasoned defender with a great handle of the fundamentals.

Then there’s someone like Barger, who’s been oscillating between third base and the corner outfield spots. Fostering that type of versatility comes with its own challenges for the coaching staff.

Budzinski and Febles will work together along with the high-performance staff to manage a player’s workload. If Barger needs practice in the infield and outfield, Febles might feed him a reduced volume of grounders on one day while Budzinski would work with him the next day on fly balls. Instead of getting in 25 reps each, perhaps Barger would take 12 on the infield and another 12 in the outfield.

It’s a balancing act that requires plenty of communication between the coaches and manager John Schneider.

“I think this is the fascinating part,” says Febles. “We got to be smart with how we work and trying to manage the workload.”

There’s also the unique situation of learning new players on the fly. Loperfido joined the team last week after arriving from Houston in the Yusei Kikuchi deal. Budzinski didn’t have the luxury of meeting the outfielder in spring training and now must go through the introductory and intel-gathering phase while Loperfido is being relied upon during games.

In a case like that, Budzinski will essentially keep his distance at first. He’ll conduct research on Loperfido and then watch him play for a week or two before gradually becoming more involved. The coach will make sure Loperfido has what he feels he needs to be prepared and then work with the outfielder on his preferred drills.

Basically, Budzinski is trying to understand Loperfido and his likes and dislikes. The teaching comes later.

The coach points to an example at Yankee Stadium in New York during Loperfido’s first series with the club. There was a fly ball that fell in front of Loperfido in left field — he lost the ball in the lights for a split second and hesitated, causing it to drop for a single.

When he got back to the dugout, Loperfido asked Budzinski for his opinion. The coach offered assurance, saying he thought it was a base hit off the bat.

The small interaction illustrated a player learning how to interact with his coach, while the same was occurring vice versa.

“It’s all about communication,” says Budzinski. “And just making sure I’m there for him, he’s there for me, we were there for each other. We’re comfortable with bringing up conversations to make sure we’re on the same page.”

More from Sportsnet

Blue Jays get solid pitching in loss to A’s but bats go painfully quiet

Blue Jays prospect Jake Bloss pitches 2.2 scoreless innings in Bisons debut

Source link