Blue Jays Winning with Help from Recent Bisons

By: Brian Frank

The Blue Jays are the hottest team in baseball, currently sitting atop the American League East, three games ahead of the second place New York Yankees. Toronto has gone 16-4 in their last 20 games, won 10 in a row at home, and have gone 32-15 (.681) since May 25, vaulting them to the second-best record in the American League and fourth best record in Major League Baseball.

One of the big reasons for the Blue Jays' recent success has been the contributions they’ve gotten from players coming up from Triple-A Buffalo. The Bisons’ parent club has received significant contributions from players who either started the season with the Herd or have been in Buffalo at some point this season.

Some examples of major-league success from players who also starred in Buffalo this season (with their big-league stats):

Addison Barger: .272/.325/.521, 14 HR, .846 OPS

Davis Schneider: .254/.365/.524, 5 HR, .889 OPS in 25 games since being recalled on June 1

Will Wagner: .333/.436/.485 , .921 OPS in 12 games since being recalled on June 28

Joey Loperfido: .348/.400/.522, 1 HR, .922 in 8 games

Eric Lauer: 5-2, 2.80 ERA in 15 games (9 starts), 61 IP, 65 K

Braydon Fisher: 3-0, 2.86 ERA, 28 games, 28 1/3 IP, 36 K

Justin Bruihl: 3.38 ERA, 7 games, 5 1/3 IP, 8 K

Tommy Nance: 0.00 ERA, 3 games, 3 2/3 IP, 5 K

Paxton Schultz: 4.56 ERA, 12 games, 23 2/3 IP, 27 K

Lázaro Estrada: 2.25 ERA, 1 game, 4 IP, 4 K

Blue Jays manager John Schneider, when reflecting on the impact players called up from Buffalo are making in Toronto and what it reveals about the organization’s minor-league system, remarked, “It speaks volumes.”

Schneider then took the opportunity to praise longtime Bisons manager Casey Candaele, exclaiming, “I love Casey Candaele. I always have from the day I met him.”

“I think it shows alignment from top down,” Schneider continued. “We've made a very deliberate, I don't want to say change, but a very deliberate effort to be aligned from the major-league team all the way down to A-ball. We sat and had meetings with every manager – myself, Donnie, De, (Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly and associate manager DeMarlo Hale). Hitting coaches sat with Pop (Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins), and Lou and Hunter (Blue Jays assistant hitting coaches Lou Iannotti and Hunter Mense). Pitching coaches sat with Pete (Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker) and Sam and Graham (Blue Jays assistant pitching coach Sam Greene and bullpen coach Graham Johnson) and said, this is the expectation, this is what we need from guys when they do come up.”

Schneider throwing BP at Rogers Centre. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

“I think when you're testing your depth, you have to be aligned,” Schneider continued. “I feel like we've definitely taken a step forward this year in that regard. And it's asking guys to do things in the minor leagues that you normally wouldn't do, where guys are trying to put up numbers and earn a promotion, asking guys that are prospects to get down a sac bunt or to pinch-hit in Triple-A – and having a staff aligned to do that too. So, it's a fulfilling feeling, I'll put it that way, where you're kind of functioning the same way from top to bottom.”

Candaele, who played in 754 major-league games over nine seasons with Montreal, Houston, and Cleveland, believes the organization is preparing players to be successful in the big leagues by helping them understand what to expect when they get there.

“You try to get them prepared to understand what's going to happen when they go to the big leagues,” Candaele said. “We try to focus on the things that they're doing there, and we want to be in conjunction with what they're doing and be on the same page. So, it's really great those guys are going up there and contributing and doing well.”

“We try and teach them the game,” Candaelle continued. “When you can go to the big leagues and not have to think about what you have to do in particular situations, you can go and play the game, and you're thinking ahead and you're understanding how the game works and that you don't try to be aggressive when you're down by three runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning. You push the envelope if you're leading late in the game, you're more aggressive earlier. Those kind of things, which we talk about all the time, are all things that are important at the major league level. If you don't know it and you screw it up on a team that's in first place in their division, then you probably don't stay there. So, it's about players being receptive to learning the game and then putting it into practice and remembering it when they go there.”

The jump from Triple-A to the big leagues is a challenging one that many players aren't able to successfully navigate. A key to the recent success the Blue Jays have had is based on the organization making sure players are used in a variety of roles in the minors and are familiar with different game situations they may face when they get to the big leagues.

“I try to be consistent every year here with the message and kind of what they're to expect when they go to the big leagues,” Candaele said. “It's a different world and if you haven't been there, you get awakened really quick as to what it's like and what's expected. So, trying to get different guys in different situations of coming off the bench or doing a certain thing, maybe bunting, maybe what they haven't done throughout their minor league career, kind of have to do it, just because that's what is expected when they go to the big leagues.”

Candaele looks on from the Bisons' dugout. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Another example of how players might be used differently in the minor leagues to prepare them for their future, is using relievers in situations they might not be accustomed to.

“If you look up and down our roster of pitchers right now, we don't have a guy that we've designated, like, okay, if this guy goes to the big leagues, he's going to be a closer,” Candaele said. “So, most of them are going to be like – you know, they’re going to need help in bulk relief, they're going to need help in leverage situations, they're going to need help when they're down a couple runs, so guys have to pitch in all those different situations.”

Candaele also sees another reason why former Bison players are succeeding at the highest level.

“They're good,” he said. “You know, they're good – and they're prepared to go compete. So, whatever that is and however we're doing it, it seems to be working.”