Blue Jays’ coaches get a little help from their friends

Though the season is more or less over for the Blue Jays, some new, unexpected faces have joined the coaching staff for the final weeks.

It was an interesting sight to see Buffalo Bisons manager Bobby Meacham in the Blue Jays dugout when he first arrived. A proud organizational manager, Meacham had coached some of the more intriguing youngsters that are now making an impact on the major league squad.

Now, a new minor league manager will be joining the team for the last few weeks. According to Baseball Toronto’s Keegan Matheson, John Schneider, manager of the Eastern League champion New Hampshire Fisher Cats, is now up with the Blue Jays for the remainder of the season.

At first glance, it doesn’t appear to be that big of a deal. While Meacham and Schneider undoubtedly have ample baseball expertise to share with the team, they’ll likely serve more support roles as the disappointing 2018 season dwindles to a sombre finish.

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Schneider, formerly the manager of both the Dunedin Blue Jays and Vancouver Canadians, has been mentioned frequently in rumours on who will succeed John Gibbons as the next manager of the Blue Jays. Though he’s only been at the helm of the Fisher Cats for a year, he’s shown tremendous promise and has gained incredible support for young players on the team.

Prior to managing the D-Jays and Canadians, Schneider also briefly managed the Lansing Lugnuts and the Gulf Coast Blue Jays, coaching every level in the Blue Jays system except Triple-A.

On the surface, Schneider makes sense for the Blue Jays, at least in some capacity. Even if he doesn’t end up as the future skipper, it would certainly be wise to provide him with some opportunity to coach the team in the coming seasons. His youth and enthusiasm, combined with his positive rapport and history with the franchise’s most treasured prospects, make him an attractive fit, to say the least.

Regardless, it can be considered only a positive that minor league managers are joining the big league squad, even if it’s only for a short period of time.