By Justin Worsley
The Toronto Blue Jays have named Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell the team's new manager on Monday, putting a halt to the process to replace retired manager Cito Gaston, which included general manager Alex Anthopoulos interviewing 18 potential candidates for the job.
Gaston, 66, announced earlier in the year that this would be his final season as a manager. The Blue Jays won 10 more games this season that they did in 2009, going 85-77.
The next step in Toronto is making the playoffs, which the team has been unable to do since winning two consecutive World Series in 1992-93. Gaston was the team's manager in both of those seasons.
Farrell joined the Red Sox as a pitching coach in 2006, reuniting him with Red Sox manager Terry Francona. The two were teammates during their playing career with the Cleveland Indians.
Much of Toronto's success last season came from their big hitting ability. The Blue Jays led the MLB with 257 home runs. Outfielder Jose Bautista had a breakout year, hitting a league-leading 54 home runs.
Toronto also boasts one of the youngest pitching rotations in the majors. Shaun Phillips is the oldest starting pitcher on the team at the age of 28.
Farrell is credited with the development of Clay Bucholtz and Jon Lester in Boston, who combined went 36-16 last season. Toronto, who has watched this development first-hand, became more interested in Farrell due to their pitching staff.
Pitching coach Bruce Walton and third base coach Brian Butterfield were finalists for the position. Both coaches will return to the team next season at their current positions.
No comments:
Post a Comment