The last time Gil Kim spent a season in uniform, it was 2008 and he was a switch-hitting infielder for a minor-league team in Venezuela. He lived in the clubhouse, sleeping on a mattress he pulled into the bathroom every night.



Kim apprenticed for a career in player development in a most unorthodox way, playing for five obscure teams on four continents in three years. But it worked.



This spring, he’s back in uniform, challenging orthodoxy once again.



After four years’ overseeing the Blue Jays’ minor-league system as player development director, Kim is their newest major-league coach. And in an unusual twist of tradition, he’s also keeping his old job.



Similarly, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann fills a newly created position, director of pitching development for the entire system, while retaining his bullpen job in Toronto.



The Blue Jays are doing things a little differently this season. The changes extend throughout...