Blue Jays president 'incredibly confident' in Gibbons

Mark Shapiro, the Toronto Blue Jays' first-year president and CEO, admitted Friday morning that his club's 20-23 start has been "disappointing," but the veteran executive isn't putting the blame on manager John Gibbons.

"To spend time around Gibby is to be incredibly confident in his leadership and to recognize that he's part of the solution," Shapiro told Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. "We feel that he's a guy who's consistent. He is strong. He is tough. He is committed, and I feel like he's the right guy to help guide us through the challenges that we're facing right now," Shapiro said.

Nor does the blame lie with Gibbons' staff, added Shapiro, who noted that shuffling up coaches is "not (a) conversation we're focused on."

Seemingly, the 2016 campaign has been rough for Gibbons, who has dealt with issues beyond a scuffling offense and dreadfully ineffective bullpen. In April, Gibbons made a sexist remark after a controversial loss in Tampa Bay that generated plenty of uproar, and the Texas native landed a three-game suspension for joining his troops on the field in Arlington during Sunday's melee with the Rangers after being ejected from the game.

Gibbons, who remains under contract through 2017, is aware of the whispers.

"You guys might never see me again," Gibbons joked with reporters ahead of his team's 12-2 loss to the Rays at Rogers Centre.

Still, beleaguered as he looks, the folksy 53-year-old tried to downplay the issues that have marred the first six weeks of the 2016 campaign.

“Really, it's a typical season since I've been here," Gibbons told Israel Fehr of Yahoo Sports. "We're so-so early on; it wasn’t different than it was last year until we hit the end of July. I've been through this before. It's a frustrating business, even when things are going good. One thing you learn over time, truthfully, is that you don't get caught up in that. You come out everyday and do the best job you can."