2023 promises to be a promising year for the Toronto Blue Jays. Aware of the expectations placed on his group, manager John Schneider and his men are poised to take on the major league powerhouses.
With players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alex Manoah, Bo Bichette and George Springer, the Jays have nothing to envy to the great teams at the Manfred circuit. Their 2022 season was very successful, but they arguably deserved more than a knockout in the first round of the playoffs.
“We know we’re considered a good team, which is great because that’s what we worked for. These expectations must be maintained throughout the season. No one has higher expectations than the guys on the roster,” Schneider told media on Wednesday, the night before his team’s first game in St. Louis.
“We want to play good baseball,” he added. I know it sounds very tacky and boring, but we want to win. Our goal every night will be to find a way to defeat the opponent.
This is the first start of the season at the helm of Schneider, who replaced Charlie Montoyo during the 2022 season. His 46-28 record bodes well for the future.
new habits
The majors have made significant changes to their 2023 schedule, meaning the Blue Jays will cross paths with their rivals in the American East much less frequently. Instead of 19 series against the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees and Orioles, the Toronto team plays 13.
As such, the Jays will face the league’s 29 teams for a total of 46 games against opponents from the National. It also kicks off Thursday with this starter against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“You end up memorizing Boston, Tampa, New York and Baltimore. It pushes us to dig deeper and make sure we’re ready for guys we’re not familiar with, whether it’s Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill or Jordan Hicks,” said Schneider.
“I think it’s good for baseball. It’s nice that we can see all the great players in the league and see how we’re doing.”
The Jays will play three road series before finally making their home debut on April 11 at Rogers Center against the Detroit Tigers.