Montoyo's '22 option picked up by Blue Jays

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Blue Jays have exercised their 2022 contract option on manager Charlie Montoyo, general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday, keeping Montoyo under contract for the next two seasons.

Montoyo, who replaced longtime manager John Gibbons following the 2018 season, led the Blue Jays through the final stages of their rebuilding process in 2019, before the club returned to the postseason for the first time in four seasons last summer, going 32-28 before losing to the Rays in the Wild Card Series.

“This organization gave me my first chance to manage in the big leagues,” Montoyo said. “I will always be grateful to Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins for that. I’m just proud of the job that our coaches and players did last year in those difficult circumstances. It was a tough year. We battled and the coaches did a great job, but we still have a lot of work to do. I’m glad they showed confidence by picking up my option and I’ll do my best to contribute to our goal of winning a championship.”

The Blue Jays hired Montoyo from the Rays, where he’d served as the club’s Major League bench coach and third-base coach after managing at every level of their Minor League system over 18 years. Montoyo’s deep development background and Major League experience are what drew the Blue Jays to him initially, and Atkins has only been impressed with what he’s seen since.

“We are 100% committed to a long-term relationship, and very excited about the progress of this team and of the organization. He’s been a huge part of that,” Atkins said. “I love working with him every day and I love seeing him every single day. We have an incredible dynamic. I feel very good about our future together.”

Montoyo’s first challenge was taking over a young team still transitioning from those postseason runs of 2015 and 2016. It didn’t happen overnight, but that 67-95 record in Montoyo’s first season represented a pivotal point as the club shifted its identity.

The young positional core, led by Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., has been at the heart of this turnaround, but the Blue Jays gave their competitive timeline another jolt this offseason, adding George Springer and Marcus Semien via free agency. Along with leading a franchise, Montoyo has also been challenged with adapting to the organization’s expectations and a roster that’s quickly developed into a legitimate competitor in the American League.

“He’s embraced it with humility. He’s embraced all of the challenges with an open mind and incredible character,” Atkins said. “He treats everyone the same. Our players really appreciate that. Obviously, he’s aware of individual needs and interests, but he’s just a very fair, consistent human being who sets a great tone for our environment.”

Red-hot Vlad leads offensive outburst

Guerrero is hitting everything lately, and he’s hitting it hard. Guerrero opened the Blue Jays’ 14-5 win over the Phillies with a double in the top of the second that bounced off the top of the wall in left-center, a 414-foot shot that would have been a home run in 19 Major League ballparks. Then, in the third, Guerrero shot a rocket past the first baseman and into the right-field corner. The second double had an exit velocity of 109.7 mph, and he wasn’t close to done, either.

After singling in his third at-bat, Guerrero launched another deep shot to center that, once again, fell just shy of clearing the wall. That 409-foot triple brought Guerrero to 4-for-4 on the day, making him the hottest hitter in camp right now.

“I’m just trying to put good contact on the ball and thank God the ball is going in the air a lot now compared to last year,” Guerrero said through a team translator. “I’m not even thinking about that. I just want to hit the ball hard and that’s it, but I’m feeling great right now.”

Guerrero says that he’s trusting himself more than he did in 2020, and if his bat takes the next step in 2021, this lineup will be a nightmare for pitchers. With nearly all of the starters in the order Tuesday, the Blue Jays put up 21 hits and nine extra-base hits. All nine starters had a hit, too, showcasing how deep this lineup runs.

Merryweather’s role becomes clearer

Julian Merryweather was getting “stretched out” in camp, but that means different things for different pitchers. The 29-year-old has been day-to-day with lower back tightness, but Atkins cleared up his expected role when healthy.

“The way he was used last year is how we’re thinking about him for this year,” Atkins said.

That means outings of one or two innings, depending on the game situation, and the Blue Jays shouldn’t hesitate to give Merryweather some opportunities in high-leverage spots. The upside of a back-end reliever is in there with Merryweather, and given the talent the Blue Jays have in Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, Rafael Dolis, Tyler Chatwood and Ryan Borucki, Merryweather just gives Montoyo another weapon in that deep group.