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On the hot seat? Blue Jays fans not buying Schneider's take on slow start

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 2 2024, 6:34 pm
On the hot seat? Blue Jays fans not buying Schneider's take on slow start
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays dropped their seventh game in nine outings yesterday versus the Kansas City Royals, and fans are fed up.

Expectations were middling heading into the season for the Blue Jays, as they failed to land a true star player in free agency. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, as they were in on some of the game’s best in Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, but were unable to make either happen.

Despite the somewhat tempered expectations, most still believed the Blue Jays would be a competitive ball club with a solid opportunity to get back into the playoffs. Through 32 games, however, they have done little to prove they are capable of that.

Overall, the Blue Jays’ starting rotation has done its job this season. After a slow start, Kevin Gausman has allowed just two earned runs over his past three starts, while Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi have both been outstanding. Chris Bassitt has struggled with a 5.45 ERA through seven starts, though he is far from the Jays’ biggest issue.

Offence has been the problem for this team. They have scored just 111 runs on the season, which is tied for 27th amongst all 30 MLB clubs.

Three of their biggest bats, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, and Bo Bichette, are all having horrendous starts to the season, which has had many fans calling for a change in the batting order. John Schneider recently revealed he has no intention of doing so, and, following yesterday’s loss to the Royals, preached that the season is still young and things will turn around.

“It’s going to come. It will,” Schneider said. “It’s May 1. It will come. We will be better… I would hope that our fans trust the fact that we have really good players. They understand they’re not performing up to their expectations. I would hope they know that we will be better.”

Schneider may have hoped his comments would put the fan base at ease; however, they have done the exact opposite. It appears that patience has run its course as Blue Jays fans are completely fed up with both the team and its manager.

While there is still a long way to go in the season, slow starts can often be what causes a team to miss the playoffs. Should these struggles continue much longer, you have to wonder if a change is necessary to try and give the Blue Jays a much-needed spark.

Colton PankiwColton Pankiw
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