3 Up, 3 Down: Three things John Gibbons would say to the Blue Jays’ players

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Nothing, nothing and nothing

It’s no secret that 2023 has been an inconsistent season for the Toronto Blue Jays. That inconsistency will happen when arguably the two biggest names on the team, pitcher Alek Manoah and slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., have seriously regressed this year.

Manoah went from serving as the opening day starter to the Florida Complex League (whatever that is) and there’s no timetable for his return.

Two years removed from a 48-home run season, Guerrero is on pace for less than 20 this year and he still hasn’t gone yard at Rogers Centre.

Outside of Manoah and Guerrero, the team as a whole has been hot and cold. Toronto sits fourth in the AL East, a half-game back of a wild card spot. Divisional losses are a big issue. The Jays are just 7-17 against AL East opponents, compared to 34-18 against the rest of the league.

So, what would former Blue Jays manager say to the players today?

“Nothing, nothing and nothing,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons, who managed Toronto for 11 big league seasons over two stints with the team, has been around long enough to understand players already know what is going on.

“They hear it all the time, they feel it. They know what’s at stake and they know when their performance isn’t what they expect.”

Gibbons has been on teams where players and managers repeatedly bring up performance issues and he says there’s a risk of players tuning out the message if it’s over-stated.

“It’s like your own children. You talk all the time and they tune you out.”

What it all boils down to is pretty simple according to Gibby.

“This is a good team. In the end if you’re good enough, you’ll be there and if you’re not, you won’t.”