Blue Jays remove polarizing hitting coach from major league staff: report

Just one day after the 2023 World Series came to an end, it appears that the Toronto Blue Jays are making a few changes to their coaching staff.

According to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the Jays have found a different role for Dave Hudgens, the club’s major league hitting strategist over the last two seasons.

“[Hudgens is] being reassigned elsewhere in the organization, according to two industry sources,” Davidi reported Thursday.

Hudgens was often the target of fan criticism for the team seemingly not getting enough out of its at-bats this season, despite an offensive lineup that was projected to be one of the league’s best this past year year.

While Toronto allowed 671 runs in 2023, the sixth-lowest total in the majors, its offensive output was more pedestrian in a year where it was expected to be a strength.

Toronto’s 746 runs scored gave it a run differential of +75 on the year, which ranked just 13th across the major leagues. In its postseason appearance this year, Toronto scored just one run across two games in a Wild Card series sweep loss against the Minnesota Twins.

Hudgens had previously served as the Blue Jays bench coach from 2018 to 2021 under former manager Charlie Montoyo.

However, it isn’t just his team’s on-field performance that caused Hudgens’ name to become more widely known among Toronto fans.

Hudgens’ X profile, which has since been locked, was a common source of his own political opinions, including at least one instance where he posted calling US Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer “an out of touch hack” just minutes before the opening pitch of that day’s Jays game.

“It’s unclear if other changes are coming,” Davidi added.

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