McKinney has a coach in his corner
Hockey analyst Cherry takes to Twitter over Jays’ use of outfielder
If Don Cherry was managing the Blue Jays, Billy McKinney would likely see a lot more playing time.
The colourful analyst from Coach’s Corner, known for speaking his mind on all things hockey, turned his pointed opinions to the Jays this week on social media, questioning who was responsible for the seemingly endless carousel McKinney has been on between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo, and the sporadic playing time the 24-year-old outfielder gets when he is with the big-league club.
“I watch the Blue Jays every game and I know they’re on a youth kick,” Cherry wrote in a lengthy post on Twitter. “But to see the treatment of Billy McKinney is beyond me. McKinney is called from Buffalo. He hits a home run that night, they win the game and he doesn’t play the next game.”
Word of Cherry’s support was news to McKinney, who was most recently recalled from the Bisons on Monday and played the next day, hitting a solo home run Toronto’s 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers. He hasn’t played since, and was not in the lineup for the Jays’ series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday.
McKinney may not be a native of hockey-loving Canada, but he is well aware of Cherry and appreciative of his support.
“Oh, really?” McKinney said when he learned of Cherry’s backing. “Oh wow, that’s awesome. He has the best blazers in Canada, for sure. Best dressed.”
Cherry listed his credentials — a 16-year career in minor hockey, a general manager and coach in the American Hockey League, coach of the Boston Bruins — to prove he was “not a turnip” before questioning who is tasked with telling McKinney he is not playing.
The 85-year-old, who called himself a “super Blue Jays fan” on social media, recalled a time during his coaching days with the Rochester Americans when he had to tell a forward he couldn’t play because of a league rule that dictated only a certain number of players over the age of 26 could participate. Cherry recalled having tears in his eyes when he delivered the news.
“In hockey, the young players see this and they say to themselves, ‘If this can happen to him, what’s going to happen to me when I get in this organization?’ … I guess baseball is different than a successful hockey franchise. I just don’t understand it,” he wrote.
McKinney tries to see the positives in his back-and-forth travels.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself as a person, on and off the field,” he said. “Just slowing the game down and really just taking it one day at a time, not trying to think of the future or think about anything else. Just be in the moment, be present, have a good attitude. I know I can play here and (I’m) just trying to take advantage of my opportunity when I get it.” McKinney does seem to make an impact in the games that precede or follow a promotion or a demotion. He hit a home run in the each of the first games he played after being recalled from Buffalo on June 18, July 15 and Aug. 12. He also hit a two-run homer on Aug. 1, the day before he was last optioned to Buffalo.
But McKinney’s overall production has been lacking — he is hitting .218 with a .705 OPS. Options make him an easy target for demotion, particularly with Toronto regularly needing arms to supplement their injury-plagued rotation and bullpen. And his .200 average against lefty pitchers make him a candidate for the bench on days that the Jays face a southpaw — like Kolby Allard, who was on the mound for the Rangers to start the game Cherry took issue with.
Charlie Montoyo has previously said that McKinney made it clear he was unhappy about his first demotion, showing a passion that the manager admired. But McKinney has learned to let it go.
“A good attitude can really go a long way, so if I’m salty or upset, that’s not going to do me any good,” he said.
As for Cherry, he is happy to have social media to gripe to. “I am so happy with Twitter (that) I can get something like this off my chest.”