TORONTO – DeMarlo Hale’s potential impact in his return to the Toronto Blue Jays extends well beyond the details of his role as the franchise’s first-ever associate manager.
The 62-year-old, whose hire was announced by the team Monday, adds another well-respected voice with toughness, credibility and experience to manager John Schneider’s coaching staff. His track record of connecting with both players and various departments across the organization should help improve the organizational cohesion issues last year identified as an issue.
Primarily, Hale will be used in what is essentially a defensive co-ordinator-style role, focused on run-prevention from a defensive perspective. It’s akin to the fielding version of the offensive co-ordinator role added to bench coach Don Mattingly’s duties last week.
Pitching coach Pete Walker will continue to oversee the club’s pitching side, with Hale’s work intended to tie-in with how the Blue Jays attack opposing hitters.
Mattingly, who was put in charge of game-planning for opposing pitchers last week, was fully involved in Hale’s hiring, perhaps a sign that he’s expected to remain with the Blue Jays after being considered for the Milwaukee Brewers’ managerial vacancy.
Schneider and his new coach know each other well from Hale’s first stint with the Blue Jays, when he served as John Gibbons’ bench coach from 2013-18. Schneider was working his way up the organizational ladder during that time, going from manager of the club’s rookie-ball GCL team in 2013 to the star-studded double-A New Hampshire team in 2018 that featured Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano and Cavan Biggio, among others.
Reunited in the big-leagues now, Hale further advances a reshaping of the Blue Jays’ coaching staff that appears designed, at least in part, to put various game-planning elements in the hands of trusted and experienced baseball people, adept at filtering and deploying advanced data.
Hale has deep experience with a number of organizations who have done well on that front, most recently with Cleveland, where he spent the past three seasons as Terry Francona’s bench coach and served as acting manager to close out 2021, when Francona had health issues.
Francona’s retirement created a pathway to Hale for the Blue Jays, although last week, the belief was that he’d remain with the Guardians under rookie manager Stephen Vogt.
Before joining Cleveland, Hale spent two seasons with Atlanta and prior to his first Blue Jays stint, he coached with the Texas Rangers from 2002-05, the Boston Red Sox from 2006-11 and the Baltimore Orioles in 2012.