What was Blue Jays' focus in first 'State of the Squad' this year?

TORONTO -- Every two weeks throughout the season, the Blue Jays like to hold something they call the “State of the Squad.”

It’s not as corporate as it sounds. There are no keynote speakers or drab conference rooms, just a bunch of Blue Jays personnel in the same room talking ball.

The Blue Jays held off on their first “State of the Squad” until this morning. There’s been so much happening early this season with injuries and new players cycling through that the Blue Jays wanted the waters to settle first, but in the nonstop world of baseball, these meetings have become a crucial part of their schedule.

Who’s in the room?

“It's the coaches, front office and a lot of people behind the scenes,” manager John Schneider said. “I really like them, because it’s not like Whac-A-Mole where you’re like, ‘This needs to get better, this needs to get better; OK, go!’ It’s stuff we talk about all the time, so just to see it, digest it and talk about what we’re trying to do to combat certain things.”

What’s the initial read on the 2026 Blue Jays?

Going into play Wednesday, the Blue Jays were 13-16, just like they were last year. Last year, the Blue Jays were obsessive about baserunning, a topic that Schneider spoke about almost daily in his media sessions.

“It’s eerily similar to last year, albeit without some key players,” Schneider said. “Where we’re at right now, the baserunning has actually been better than where it was last year, but with a few stupid mistakes, mental mistakes that get penalized pretty heavily when you have a small sample size.”

This year, there’s a new focus for the group.

“We’re swinging a lot and we’re making contact a lot, but we’re also chasing more,” Schneider said, “which is a weird combination to have. Some of that is personnel-driven, and you don’t want to take away aggressiveness from certain guys. Some of it is the league being a little more aware of guys who they may not have been as aware of [last year].”

Considering the variables …

Just as Schneider believes that a few mental mistakes have slanted the Blue Jays’ baserunning metrics, which he’s otherwise very happy with, he and the group in these meetings want to consider all of the external factors when looking at the Blue Jays’ offense. Much of this can be broken down with metrics we all see each day, but what else is happening outside of those?

“Is Nathan Lukes’ chase rate higher because he had vertigo? Is Kazuma [Okamoto]’s chase rate higher because he’s adjusting to new pitchers? You look at it in totality, and there are some things that drive those numbers up. What we’re looking at right now is the at-bat profile and quality. In the short term, we need to diversify it a little bit.”

What’s the solution?

This, ultimately, is the point of these “State of the Squad” meetings. Identifying a specific problem with specific language -- not just “we need better at-bats” -- is so important.

“When you’re not slugging and making contact, that contact needs to come at the right time. If you’re not making contact and you’re slugging, OK, that’s a different story,” Schneider said. “It’s about trying to thread that needle. We talk about it every day with guys. What does this situation call for? When guys are out of the lineup, it’s a domino effect. It’s one square wheel and three round ones. Until we get four wheels back, you need to really find what’s happening with each individual guy.”

This gets to another favorite word of Schneider’s over the years, which is “intent.” If everyone’s just trying to put the bat on the ball, this lineup can be OK. For it to be great, though, the Blue Jays need hitters leaning fully into their own specific strengths.

“We function best when we’re feeding off one another,” Schneider said. “I was just talking to [Tyler] Heineman about this. What are you actually swinging at? We know a lot of these guys make contact. Are you just making contact, or are you making quality contact? Are you in a hurry to make contact?”

This gets so much easier, of course, with the return of George Springer and, soon enough, Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk. When everyone is back in their typical lineup spots, it’s easier to lean into their own identity as a hitter, and by the next "State of the Squad" meeting, the Blue Jays should be in much better shape.