Matt Hague promoted to Blue Jays coaching staff

BUFFALO, NY - Today the Toronto Blue Jays announced the promotion of Matt Hague to the position of assistant hitting coach for the team this coming season.

Hague served as the Buffalo Bisons Hitting Coach in 2023 after spending a pair of seasons with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Toronto’s AA affiliate.

He was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame last season for his time as a player with the Herd, including being named the 2015 International League Most Valuable Player. Hague accounted for one of the top offensive seasons in club history, winning the IL Batting Title with a .338 average while producing 33 doubles, 11 home runs, 92 RBI, 70 runs scored and a then-club record .416 on-base percentage.

His .342 batting average in 149 total games in Buffalo, which included 13 games with the Bisons in the 2014 season, is the best mark in the team’s modern era.

The Bisons offense was tied for sixth among all 30 Triple-A teams in batting average, hitting a combined .274 last season. Several different Herd batters ranked in the IL’s top 10 among offensive categories. INF Spencer Horwitz led the league with a .450 on-base percentage, while finishing tied for second in OPS at .945, and his 78 walks drawn finished tied for eighth as well.

Similarly, UTL Rafael Lantigua was second in the league with 98 walks, in addition to a league-best 40 doubles, the third most hits in the league with 142, and a .425 OBP which was fourth in the IL.