Pete Walker is not the only future managerial candidate on the Blue Jays right now

Earlier this week, it was reported by Jon Morosi that Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker could potentially be on the New York Mets radar as the club looks for a new manager. This makes sense considering Walker, amongst other contributing factors, has helped numerous Jays pitchers to improve their stats while with the organization. Most notably is Robbie Ray, as the southpaw turned a rough 2020 campaign into a Cy Young winning year where he post an AL-leading 2.84 ERA.

While Walker obviously did not do this by himself (nor should he receive all the credit), the former Major League pitcher is widely known across the league and has earned the respect of many individuals both in and outside the organization. It makes sense that the pitching coach will be flirting with potential managerial positions as they appear but the Blue Jays also possess a potential Major League manager candidate as their bench coach as well, although he may be a few years away before getting an opportunity.

Drafted by the Blue Jays back in 2002, John Schneider never made the Major Leagues as a player but spent six seasons in the minor leagues with the club before retiring after the 2007 season. The organization hired Schneider as an instructor shortly after but he quickly found himself managing the Rookie League Gulf Coast Blue Jays, eventually moving to manage the A-level Vancouver Canadians in the 2010/2011 offseason. His first season with Vancouver saw the minor league team capture the Northwest League championship led by a rotation featuring a trio of young stars in Noah Syndergaard, Justin Nicolino, and Aaron Sanchez.

While Pete Walker is gaining some attention on the Blue Jays right now, John Schneider is also a name to watch out for when it comes to managerial positions

Schneider continued to impress and kept progressing through the farm system, eventually managing the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to begin the 2018 campaign and winning the Eastern League Manager of the Year award the same year. Seeing the Blue Jays young core work through the farm system and the success he saw as a manager in the minor leagues, the club promoted him to the big league squad in 2019 where he currently works as a Major League coach.

While Walker is generating the most buzz considering his work at the Major League level, there is no doubt that the Blue Jays should also be concerned that clubs will start to take notice and start to court Schneider for their open manager positions. It might not happen over the next season or two, but the New Jersey product started to generate some fan support after he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes against the White Sox in late August.

Some even started to call for Schneider to take over for Montoyo when the club was going through some rough patches this season, noting his work with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette and how he worked with these players as they were working their way up through the farm system all the way to the Major Leagues.

Don’t be surprised if clubs start to inquire about John Schneider’s availability over the next few years when it comes to open managerial positions and he has more experience under his belt as a bench coach at the Major League level.

He has been a very positive influence on the Jays organization since turning into a manager and with his success as a manager in the minor league levels, a .518 winning percentage through 822 games and nine seasons, it will only be a matter of time before Schneider gets a crack at managing at the big league level.