Jays’ Shapiro focusing on end results

Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro says he expects an attendance drop in 2019.

The rebuilding Jays are not expected to compete for a playoff spot for at least two years, probably longer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s down a little bit,” Shapiro said Wednesday.

Toronto’s home attendance dropped for the third straight year last season as the club stumbled to a 73-89 record.

The Jays drew 2,325,281 fans to the Rogers Centre in 2018, down from 3,203,886 in 2017, about a 27 per cent drop. They led the AL in attendance in 2016 and 2017.

But the 2019 season is going to be painful, as the organization will be fielding a young lineup and are going to play their prospects against an American League East division that’s probably going to be even better than it was last season.

But even if the Jays are sitting last in the AL East this upcoming season, Shapiro believes they’ll be in a better position attendance-wise than most.

He said the addition of heralded prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sometime in 2019 will give the attendance a bit of a bump. Guerrero is the most highly touted prospect in club history.

Shapiro has been criticized consistently since joining the club as president and CEO in August of 2015. The Cambridge, Mass. native said he learned from his time in Cleveland not to let negative feedback get to him.

“When we traded Bartolo Colon (in 2002 to Montreal), I had death threats. Literally,” Shapiro said.

“The job is to commit a sense of urgency and sense of drive to build a sustainable championship team.

“(Don’t) worry about being right along the way, but being right in the end. If you’re doing it for popularity, you’re going to have a shortterm existence.”