John Michael Gibbons (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Gibbons briefly played in the Major Leagues as a catcher with the New York Mets, in the mid-1980s. Early life Gibbons was born in Great Falls, Montana, and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended Douglas MacArthur High School. The son of United States Air Force colonel William Gibbons, he had his first Little League Baseball at-bat while playing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, where the family lived temporarily. Playing career Gibbons was selected by the New York Mets with the 24th overall pick of the 1980 amateur draft. He spent the next three years moving up through the Mets minor-league system. In 1984, he was considered to be the Mets' top catching prospect, and was set to start the season in the majors. However, a collision with the Phillies' Joe Lefebvre in late March landed him on the 15-day disabled list. He eventually started six games at catcher in April 1984, but batted only .040 in that stretch. He went back on the disabled list with a sore arm at the end of April, and was sent back to AAA Tidewater after that. Gibbons was next called up to the majors in the 1986 Mets season. He appeared in 8 games and batted .474 (9 for 19), but the Mets already had the majors' best catcher in Gary Carter and an established backup in Ed Hearn. Gibbons served as the Mets' bullpen catcher during the 1986 postseason, and earned a World Series ring when the Mets won the World Series. Gibbons spent the next four seasons on five different AAA teams. He retired as a player after the 1990 season. Coaching and managerial career Minor leagues Gibbons began his coaching career with the Mets in 1990 as a minor league roving catching instructor. In 1994, he joined the Mets' South Atlantic League franchise, the Capital City Bombers, as a hitting coach. Gibbons began his minor-league managing career in the Mets' organization with the Kingsport Mets, guiding them to the Appalachian League championship in 1995. He followed that by guiding the St. Lucie Mets to the Florida State League title the next season. In 1998, he led the Eastern League's Binghamton Mets to the playoffs, and then followed that with three