The Blue Jays manager, in his third full season at the helm, has shaken off the slings and arrows of doubters and critics, stayed the course, grown into the job and piloted his team to first place in the major leagues.
“It wasn’t a class I took over a weekend or anything, but I feel much more comfortable in this role after going through it for a couple of years,” Schneider said in the visitors dugout before a 6-2 win over the Tigers on Friday night.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled twice and scored a pair of runs as the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Blue Jays defeated the slumping Detroit Tigers 6-2. (July 26, 2025)
The Canadian PressIt hasn’t been an easy ride for the 45-year-old who took over midstream in 2022, when the Jays were losing their hold on a wild-card playoff spot, and steered them to the post-season in both ‘22 and ‘23 (swept out of the playoffs in both instances) before they crashed into the cellar last year.
“The first couple of years there were some bumps in the road for him,” said Pete Walker, the Jays’ 13-year pitching coach who was on the staff when Schneider came aboard as major-league coach in 2019. “He’s handled it all incredibly well. He’s such a people person, a player’s manager. He’s so good to the staff in delegating and letting us do our thing.”
Those bumps in the road included a couple of moves for which Schneider received abundant criticism from the fan base, both in the post-season: taking right-hander Kevin Gausman out of a game, some thought too early, in 2022 (the bases were loaded and he had thrown 95 pitches) and the early exit of José BerrÃos in Game 2 of the 2023 wild-card series against the Minnesota Twins — which by now only the wilfully ignorant still believe was Schneider’s call, though like a good lieutenant he fell on his sword for the front office’s too-clever-by-half scheme.
Through it all, Schneider has remained the same affable, self-deprecating, calming presence. Extremely even-tempered, except when it comes to protecting his players.
“Being a manager is a really tough job,” said shortstop Bo Bichette, who first played for Schneider as a 19-year-old in A-ball. “I think managers probably go through similar ups and downs as players, learning opportunities and stuff like that. But I think the biggest thing is that he really trusts us this season. Through the first month when it wasn’t always perfect, he trusted us and let us do our thing and we responded.”
Ernie Clement, who has played every infield position at least a dozen times this season, appreciates how Schneider has evolved into a manager who makes sure everyone on the roster gets involved in almost every game.
“Even if you’re not starting the game, everyone knows that they have a chance to get into the game and help us win,” Clement said before Friday’s batting practice was cancelled because of the threat of rain. “Because everybody’s getting a good amount of playing time and chances to help us win, I think that has made us closer as a group. I think Schneids has realized how important that is, to keep everyone involved. He’s pulling all the right strings and helping everyone to be as successful as they can.”Â
Clement added that Schneider has made sure to develop a relationship with everyone on the team, something not all managers do and something Schneider knew he needed to work on.
“When you have success on the field, it takes buy-in from the players and it takes a lot of communication from me and the staff,” said Schneider. “When you feel like you’ve gotten to that point, conversations seem to be a little bit easier about every other little thing that the day brings. I’ve made a pretty deliberate effort to try to be better at that.”
Schneider can’t make players hit or pitch better — no matter how many times he puts on the hit a homer sign — but the way this team is run allows him to really dig in and get his hands dirty.
”(I tell players) be who you are, and my job is to find a spot for you to do what you do, and they’ve responded,” said Schneider, who is finding lots of spots with his platoon-heavy, defensively flexible squad. ”(Bench coach Don Mattingly) always tells them before the game: ‘Here are some spots, be ready for this, that, whatever it may be.’ And then when that situation starts to unfold, they all start moving on the conveyor belt.
“It’s fun, and then I can move them around — moving Joey (Loperfido), moving (Nathan) Lukes, moving (Addison) Barger, moving Ernie (Clement). It’s kinda fun.”
Schneider isn’t the only one having fun. You can see it in shots of the dugout during games, and not just the players.
“He’s a lot looser, I’m a lot looser,” Walker said as the Jays navigate the heat of a playoff race. “We seem to be able to laugh a little bit in some critical situations, which puts both of us at ease, and I think that helps everybody.”
So far, it has helped the Jays to the top of the standings.
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