![In year 2025, shall I stick with low-level programming, or switch to a relatively high-level environment? [closed]](https://cdn.sstatic.net/Sites/workplace/Img/apple-touch-icon@2.png?v=d39b333f5c58)
Andres Gimenez aims to help Blue Jays with his glove and bat
As a Gold Glove winner at second base for three years running, Andrés Giménez certainly knows defence. But the new Blue Jay is also determined to restore some of the offence he’s lost since his all-star season in 2022.
DUNEDIN, Fla. — As an American League Gold Glove winner at second base for three years running, Andrés Giménez certainly knows defence. And in being acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays, winner of the team award the past two seasons, he joins a club that certainly values defence, something he’s seen first-hand across the diamond.
“Playing against this team the last couple years, it was great to see Kevin Kiermaier — I know he’s retired but he was great to see in the outfield,” Gimenez said Thursday after a day of defensive work and live batting practice. “And Daulton Varsho … because there’s no way you get hits with him in centre field.”
Glove recognizing glove there, and the addition of someone manager John Schneider described as “the best infielder in baseball” should significantly tighten up the defence behind the pitching staff, and not only because Gimenez will be hoovering ground balls hit to the right side.
Last season, Schneider said, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. “was trying to cover a little bit more of a four-hole than he will have to this year,” so freed from worrying about the ground to his right, he can lock in more on the ground to his left.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369106846112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369106846112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369106846112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-511242" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6369106846112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6369106846112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/hes-been-great-blue-jays-gimenez-on-gaining-chemistry-with-bichette/" }); });
Similarly, shortstop Bo Bichette can focus more on the 5-6 hole to his right knowing Gimenez is able to cover so much ground up the middle. The middle infield duo has spent a lot of time in camp ironing out how they like to play and “communication is going to be huge for our game, our defence,” said Gimenez, “because I don’t want to crash into him or something and he doesn’t want to crash into me.”
Certainly not.
Gimenez’s expected collective impact is “definitely measurable,” said Schneider, and since he was picked up from Cleveland along with reliever Nick Sandlin for Spencer Horwitz and outfield prospect Nick Mitchell, the Blue Jays have “tweaked our process” for positioning infielders.
“We have a pretty good idea, like every team does, where the ball is going to be hit. From that you can adjust by personnel,” said Schneider. “That’s something we’ve drilled down a little bit deeper on and it’ll help everyone around him.”
What will also help everyone, of course, is if Gimenez restores some of the offence he’s lost since his all-star, 6.1 fWAR season of 2022, when he batted .297/.371/.466. Last year, that line dropped all the way down to .252/.298/.340, making him a negative-value offensive player, but one still worth 2.8 fWAR on the back of his elite defence alone.
The Blue Jays, according to Schneider, believe “he can really swing the bat, too” adding that while “people kind of have written him off from that standpoint, we don’t think that’s going to be the case.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107039112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107039112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107039112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-631839" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6369107039112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6369107039112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/blue-jays-schneider-enticed-by-idea-of-gimenez-hitting-lead-off/" }); });
Their faith that Gimenez’s offence will recover led them to take on the $96.5 million he’s guaranteed through 2029, and they need to be right on that since he’s their largest and longest current financial commitment to a player.
In their favour is that the 26-year-old does a good job of making contact, rarely strikes out, was in the 74th percentile in expected batting average a year ago and has an 89th percentile sprint speed. But he also has a 37.4 per cent chase rate, walks in only 4.1 per cent of his plate appearances and is in the bottom 10th percentile in contact quality stats.
Many of those numbers were better in 2022 and that’s the form he’s working to get back to.
“I was more focused on results, last year and it doesn’t give me a chance to really focus on little things that we have to be focused on,” Gimenez said, adding that when he’s right at the plate, “I stay consistent with myself, with my movements and my approach, trusting my abilities. I think ’22 and ’23 was a clear example of that. But I need to get back there and hopefully, I’m going to get there.”
SURGERY FOR MACKO
Canadian prospect Adam Macko underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee Thursday morning, a blow to the club’s upper-level starting depth addressed in part by the minor-league agreement reached with veteran Ryan Yarbrough.
Macko, the 24-year-old Slovakian-born, Alberta-raised left-hander, felt something in the knee during a side session last weekend, and the surgery was expected. John Schneider said a timeline for his return will be clearer once “he gets back here and has recovered a little bit.”
Macko, along with Adam Kloffenstein, who’s also behind schedule dealing with shoulder fatigue, were expected to be part of the rotation at triple-A Buffalo. Last season, Macko logged 93.1 innings with 105 strikeouts across three levels while also missing some time with an elbow injury.
-
-
Blair & Barker
Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker talk all things Blue Jays and MLB. Airing live on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 360 and available on demand wherever you get your podcasts.
In spite of that, he was on the Blue Jays’ radar for this season, and the club hoped he would “keep building on things he’s been getting better at and give us a viable option,” said Schneider. “He’s a left-handed arm with strikeout capabilities, big fastball, too. I don’t want to say if you’re taking positives out of it, it’s now as opposed to June or July, but hopefully he gets better soon.”
Yarbrough, 33, finished last season with the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Dodgers at the trade deadline for Kevin Kiermaier, appearing in 12 games in a bulk role.
His minor-league deal is pending a physical, according to an industry source, and he is expected to report Friday. With his ability to pitch in a variety of roles and offer length, he has a pathway to breaking camp with the team.
EARLY ROTATION SET
The Blue Jays begin Grapefruit League play Saturday when they host the New York Yankees and left-hander Easton Lucas, expected to open as rotation depth at triple-A Buffalo, will make the start.
On Sunday at Boston, Yariel Rodriguez will be followed by Jake Bloss, Bowden Francis starts Monday at Detroit, while Max Scherzer will be followed by Jose Berrios on Tuesday against St. Louis.
QUOTABLE
“I like him a lot more this year than I did last year.” — John Schneider on new Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107232112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107232112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369107232112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-118105" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6369107232112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6369107232112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/i-love-it-blue-jays-schneider-on-taking-santander-from-orioles/" }); });
