John Schneider understands that the Toronto Blue Jays’ struggles have sparked heavy criticism toward both him and the roster. Still, the manager was candid in pointing to the root issue, a lack of production at the plate, and in what sounded like a message to his players, stressed the need for more impact hitting.
His comments were shared by Keegan Matheson on X: “John Schneider on the offence: ‘We need some extra-base hits. We need to slug.’ ‘We need to get back to everyone doing their part, whether it’s contact or slug. It seems like we’re missing that extra-base hit right now.’”
Toronto’s extra-base hit production has been underwhelming early in the season, with 29 through 18 games. That issue showed up during their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, where they managed to win just two games, and notably, their first win in that set came behind a surge of seven extra-base hits.
The Blue Jays aren’t as bad as they look
As Schneider pointed out, the lineup has struggled, but the numbers suggest the situation isn’t entirely bleak. The Blue Jays currently hold a .241 team batting average, ranking around the middle of the league, and have hit 16 home runs, tied with the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the specific category Schneider emphasized, extra-base hits, Toronto sits 13th in the MLB, just one behind the Philadelphia Phillies, another team dealing with its own inconsistencies.
There are also positives. As of April 17, the Blue Jays have the fewest strikeouts in the league, with just 125 in 613 at-bats across 18 games. They also rank second in stolen bases, showing that while power has lagged, the offense is still generating opportunities in other ways.
