Toronto Blue Jays: Then why even have a manager…….?

If the Toronto Blue Jays are not going to trust their manager’s ability to make in-game decisions, then why even keep Charlie Montoyo around?

During the first game of the Blue Jays postseason series with the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Charlie Montoyo was heavily criticized for yanking pitcher Matt Shoemaker after three innings of shutout ball.

Many felt that the decision was pre-determined by the analytical department and General Manager Ross Atkins ahead of the start. However, how can you not trust your skipper to make decisions on the fly as the game is unfolding?

Essentially, the consensus was Montoyo the Blue Jays puppet as someone behind the scenes controlled the strings. To me, this is an issue and the team requires a more experienced manager who is not programmed like a robot.

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Obviously, everyone plays an important role in the preparation leading up to a series and enacting a plan to win. However, it is completely asinine to think that Montoyo does not have the ability to stray from such a plan should Shoemaker do what he did yesterday.

This was not the only questionable decision that Montoyo made in the game last night. He also opted to pinch-hit with Joe Panik rather than Rowdy Tellez for Jonathan Villar. An argument could be made for Panik, but I still preferred Tellez in that opportunity.

He has the profound ability to change his offensive lineup on a whim and at one point batted Cavan Biggio in the eight-hole while Danny Jansen hit second. His bullpen management has been questionable at best and seemed to have a love affair with overusing Shun Yamaguchi.

So in hindsight, maybe this is the reason the decision-making abilities have been removed from Montoyo. It won’t matter much as the Blue Jays are down 7-0 in the second inning as postseason elimination looms.

Regardless, Montoyo is not the man to lead this team to the promised land moving forward.