TORONTO -- Longtime Blue Jays Minor League instructor Mike Mordecai received a long-awaited promotion to the big league club when he was named Toronto's new quality control coach on Wednesday.
Mordecai is entering his eighth season with the Blue Jays after having spent last year as an assistant field coordinator. He initially joined the organization in 2010 as a Minor League infield coordinator, and he earned rave reviews for his defensive work with then prospect Brett Lawrie.
The 50-year-old Mordecai played parts of 12 seasons in the Major Leagues with stints in Atlanta, Montreal and Florida. He was a career .244 hitter, and he retired in 2005 before coaching high school baseball and later joining the Blue Jays' organization.
Mordecai replaces Derek Shelton, who was hired by the Twins at the end of the season to serve as bench coach for manager Paul Molitor. The quality control coach is essentially responsible for helping Blue Jays players prepare for games. He works with the advanced scouting department both in terms of scouts and analytics to make sure information is properly conveyed to players.