TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays field co-ordinator Gil Kim and assistant pitching coach Jeff Ware won’t return to the major-league staff next year, according to multiple industry sources, the latest changes to the coaching group after a trying season.
The team is working on potential re-assignments for both Kim and Ware, as well as David Howell, another assistant pitching coach. The Blue Jays also parted with hitting coach Guillermo Martinez, who was hired into the role ahead of the 2019 season, bringing the total known changes up to four.
Kim joined the club as player development director in 2016, overseeing the growth of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette among many other prospects and working closely with John Schneider, a minor-league manager at the time. The two were reunited when Kim was promoted to Charlie Montoyo’s staff in 2020.
Ware, a Blue Jays first-round pick in 1991 who appeared in 19 big-league games during the 1995-96 season, began coaching with the organization in 2014. He served as pitching co-ordinator from 2017-2019 before taking over as pitching coach at triple-A Buffalo in 2020 and getting promoted to oversee the big-league bullpen in 2023.
Howell was hired as a big-league pitching strategist heading into the 2022 season and was promoted to an assistant coaching role last year. He initially joined the organization as a development coach at the alternate training site during the pandemic season of 2020.