Conversations with the Herd: Blue Jays First-Base Coach Mark Budzinski

By: Brian Frank

Blue Jays first-base coach Mark Budzinski starred on some of the great Bisons’ teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Budzinski, a Maryland native, played college baseball at the University of Richmond and was selected by Cleveland in the 21st round of the 1995 MLB June Amateur Draft. The left-handed hitting center fielder worked his way up through Cleveland’s minor-leagues system and arrived at Triple-A Buffalo midway through the 1999 season.

“One of the first things I remember is being out on the field, and I think it was right after the All-Star break, if I'm not mistaken,” Budzinski said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “So, I had a few days off and got there for a workout before we opened the second half, and I just noticed the higher decks (at Sahlen Field). Guys say that when they get to the big leagues too, that the stadiums are higher. That was the first thing I noticed in the outfield as I'm shagging that there's a second deck in Buffalo, seeing the ball off the bat, getting jumps, and things like that. That’s kind of the first thing that pops in my head, the difference in the ballpark.”

Budzinski batting in downtown Buffalo. Photo Courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

“Then, having been around some of the guys in spring training and some of the older guys, not knowing them, but trying to get to know them. Obviously, being respectful and being quiet as you get to the next level. Listening and trying to learn from guys like Jeff Manto, who had done it very well there for a number of years, and was very kind to me. He actually allowed me to live with him rather than stay in a hotel – and have conversations about the game every night and learning. So that's kind of the fun part of it.”

The 1999 Bisons went 72-72 and finished six games behind International League North champion Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Budzinski, only 25 years old at the time, slashed .286/.387/.429 in 47 games for the Herd that season.

“I think any time you're a younger player, and you move from one level to the next, especially as you're getting closer to the big leagues, let's call it Double-A and above, there are some expectations you have for yourself, as well as some doubt,” he said. “Can you play at that next level?”

Budzinski enjoyed playing for all three of his managers in Buffalo. In his first season with the Herd, Jeff Datz was at the helm.

“Awesome guy number one,” Budzinski said of Datz. “Super organized. It'd be funny, a staff member would go in his room and turn a pen sideways – and he would know it. He was organized to a T. Just teaching the right way to play the game. Obviously, he played the game, he managed, and he was a scout. So, he kind of covered all the bases there. Just a joy to be around every day. He expected a lot of you. If you did the right thing, he pulled for you, and you felt that. There’s nothing more that you want as a player than for your manager to be pulling for you.”

“I was lucky,” he continued. “I got to be with Joel Skinner (with the 2000 Bisons), as well as Eric Wedge (with the 2001 Bisons), so a bunch of catchers. Typically, catchers are pretty good managers. We've got one here (in Toronto) in John Schneider. So, just learning their perspective on the game. They all had different personalities, but all pulled for the players, cared about the players, and taught the game, so it was fun.”

Budzinski played in three seasons with the Herd. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

In 2000, Budzinski returned to Buffalo and starred on a Bisons team that won the International League North with an 86-59 record, before falling to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first round of the I.L. playoffs. Budzinski slashed .290/.365/.415 in 118 games.

“We had a pitching staff that was very solid, that gave us a chance to win every night,” he said. “A good back end of the bullpen. (We had) a couple guys that got up to the big leagues that year that kept us in games. And we could swing it a little bit.”

“I always felt like with Cleveland in the minor leagues, we always had a chance to go to the playoffs. That was fun, because, from an experience standpoint, to me, that was the closest thing to the big leagues, right? Every night all that matters is you win. As you're going through the minor leagues, development is very important, but you want to win too. In the big leagues, it's all about winning every day, and in the (minor-league) playoffs, that’s the feeling that you get. Every play matters. Every pitch matters. Every decision you make on the bases matters. To be able to kind of feel that a lot of times in the minor leagues and get that experience is very important.”

In 2001, the Herd ran away with the I.L. North Division under new manager Eric Wedge. They went 91-51, finishing 13 1/2 games ahead of second-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Budzinski’s numbers slipped a bit from the previous season. He slashed .256/.308/.347 in 122 games.

“That was the year that I was going to be a six-year free agent,” he remembered. “So obviously, I wanted to have a very good year. If not getting called up, then having an opportunity to keep playing somewhere, whether it be with Cleveland or elsewhere. The season didn't go great for me personally. I didn't have a very good year offensively – and I was kind of nervous about that. I remember talking to Mark Shapiro, who at that time was the GM (of Cleveland) in the dugout in Buffalo in late August or early September about what his opinion was. Do they want me back or not? He said they would definitely sign me back, but his thought was, being very clear and kind, was like, but I see your best opportunity being on a National League team being a fourth or fifth outfielder, and that being your best chance to get an opportunity in the big leagues. Him saying that had a lot to do with my thought process moving forward into that offseason. I ended up signing with a National League team (the Chicago Cubs), just because I really trusted his opinion on that. It was very kind of him to try to help me do what's best for me.”

“But, even in ’01, even though it wasn't the greatest year for me, the experiences with the guys, the staff, you know, (current President of Rich Baseball Operations and Bisons general manager in 2001) Mike Buczkowski, (former President of Rich Baseball Operations) Jon Dandes, the people that run the organization, (Bisons owner) Bob Rich and his family. They just treat you first class, take care of you, care about you as a person, even more so as a player. And you felt that throughout the Cleveland system.”

Driving one into the gap. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

Despite their strong season, Buffalo suffered a disappointing playoff exit, losing in the first round of the I.L. playoffs to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The decisive fifth game is still the longest game both in innings and time wise in Sahlen Field history. The marathon contest took five hours and 13 minutes before the Red Barons pulled out a 6-2 win in the 19th inning.

“It was crazy,” Budzinski recalled. “If I'm not mistaken, nobody scored a run from like the 10th to the 19th. So there was no like, they score one, we score one. It was basically just people making plays all over the place and nobody scoring runs. That was Game Five, so the winner goes on to the next series and obviously we did not come out on top. I remember driving home the next day, which was 2001 and September 11. So I get home, I think around 5:30 or something that night, and the next day I wake up at 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning, and my wife's got the news on and it was like holy cow, you know? So that's a day you'll never forget for two reasons.”

After spending some time in the Cubs and Brewers organizations, Budzinski eventually made his way to the Reds, where he was rewarded for his strong play in Louisville by being called up to Cincinnati to make his major-league debut in August 2003. Sean Casey, whose loquaciousness earned him the nickname The Mayor, took the lead in introducing his former University of Richmond and minor-league teammate to the big leagues.

“When I got called up to Cincinnati, it was a Sunday Night Baseball game,” Budzinski remembered. “So I played Saturday in Charlotte, got called up that night, and made the trip on Sunday to Cincinnati. I met Sean Casey and Chris Reitsma for brunch with their families. Then we went to the ballpark, and he (Casey) is literally parading me around, introducing me to everybody, like it's his job to introduce people. I think he was more excited for me than I was for myself. I was a little nervous thinking about that night, and I wasn't even starting, but still, my preparation and everything like that. He just wanted to take care of me. That just speaks to him as a human being, on how he is and how genuine he is and how much he cares for people. But I'll never forget that. I just remember specifically Danny Graves and Reitsma, and talking to the trainer with Danny and saying ‘Case, go take care of yourself.’ (And Casey responded,) ‘Man, I am. This is good. I'm good.’ That's just the kind of human being he is.”

Budzinski watching infield at Rogers Centre with Don Mattingly. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

After retiring as a player, Budzinski eventually got into coaching. He managed for four seasons in Cleveland’s farm system in Lake County, Lynchburg, and Akron, posting a 290-269 record during that time. He was a member of Cleveland’s major-league coaching staff in 2018 before becoming the Blue Jays’ first-base coach in 2019. He returned to Buffalo with the Blue Jays in 2020 and 2021, when Toronto played their home games at Sahlen Field due to the closure of the U.S.-Canada border because of the ongoing pandemic.

“It was comfortable being there, because I knew the area,” he said. “I’d lived in the area for a couple of years. I know the front office, even though we couldn't have much contact with them because of covid. But just the renovations they did in the clubhouse and everything to make us comfortable were outstanding. It's just a representation of the people and their care for human beings, and trying to make a tough situation the best it could possibly be, which they did.”

Counting his two seasons in Buffalo with the Blue Jays, Budzinski has now spent parts of five seasons in the Queen City.

“It’s just a great town of people that support the team,” he said. “A hardworking town that comes out and supports the Bisons year after year. We had some good playoff teams and felt those fans supporting us there. It’s just a fun place to play. It's close to Rochester, close to Syracuse, so those were short bus trips that made it a little easier to not have to go far all the time. It was a great experience there. I loved my time in Buffalo.”