Today, John Gibbons celebrates his 64th birthday.
Gibby was the Blue Jays’ manager for eleven seasons—nine full seasons and two part seasons. The team had a 793-789 record under his helm, and we made it to the playoffs twice during his tenure.
Gibbons’ first stint began mid-2004, as the Jays sought change after Carlos Tosca. The team went 20-30 over the final 50 games. Over the next three seasons, we finished third, second, and third. High hopes in 2008 faded: Frank Thomas started slow, voiced frustration,
and was released. The Mencherson outfield experiment and signings of David Eckstein and Shannon Stewart didn’t work out.
Whether deserved or not, the manager typically takes the blame when expectations are not met, so towards the middle of the 2008 season, Cito Gaston replaced Gibbons.
Fast-forward to 2013—a managerial change after John Farrell’s departure brought Gibby back. After disappointing years, Gibbons led us to the playoffs for the first time in over twenty years, and we reached the ALCS twice.
The team aged quickly. With back-to-back fourth-place finishes, a rebuild was needed. Gibbons wasn’t interested, likely understanding the organization would want new leadership.
Gibby was fun and a great interview, with a folksy manner. His low bunt rate (1.6% of opportunities) pleased me. I sometimes questioned bullpen usage, but all managers have such moments.
He seemed genuinely likeable, easy to imagine sharing a beer and baseball talk. He lacked the ego of some managers and appeared open to discussing decisions and differing opinions.
Gibbons is the Angels’ bench coach this year, after spending a couple of years with the Mets in the same role.
Before managing, John was a first-round Mets pick, but his MLB career never took off. After Gary Carter joined and played nearly every day, Gibbons appeared in 18 MLB games over two seasons.
Happy Birthday, John. I hope it is a good one.
