Nestled between the gregarious confines of Ernie Clement’s locker and an empty cubby, a strikingly unforgettable character has set up shop in the Blue Jays clubhouse this week.
After a stint to reset at Triple-A Buffalo,聽bespectacled fan favourite聽Davis Schneider聽is back.
鈥淚t feels weird being back here. I feel like I鈥檝e missed a lot of stuff,鈥 Schneider told the Star聽before the team鈥檚 series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. 鈥淥ther than that, it鈥檚 still baseball. Nothing really changes.鈥
Aside from causing some mild confusion in the clubhouse given that he has the same surname as the team鈥檚 manager 鈥 it happens fairly often 鈥 the return is a welcome sight for the Jays and their fans.
When Schneider hit a home run in his first career MLB at-bat, it was a full circle moment. But the piece at the centre of it all was missing.
When Schneider hit a home run in his first career MLB at-bat, it was a full circle moment. But the piece at the centre of it all was missing.
The mustachioed New Jerseyan became something of a folk hero聽in 2023, hitting six home runs in his first 13 big-league games and ending the season with a 1.008 on-base plus slugging percentage. He even earned the nickname Babe Schneider among fans, who embraced his subdued manner.
Success was far from preordained, seeing as he was drafted in the 28th round in 2017, a spot that seldom produces big-leaguers. (Over 600 players have been selected in the 28th round since 2000, but only 43 have appeared in the major leagues, eight of them for the Jays. Most don鈥檛 last more than a handful of games.)
The next season was rougher. Schneider’s production dropped, his strikeout totals rose and he lost playing time. After a slow start this season, he was sent down to Buffalo, where he鈥檇 spend six weeks before Sunday’s callup.
His early-season聽struggles were a function of a few things, Schneider said. For one, he wasn鈥檛 getting consistent at-bats, and that was an adjustment that caused his timing to slip.
鈥淚 feel like my timing the first two weeks was off,鈥 Schneider said. 鈥淚 feel like part of my game, what makes me do really well, is seeing pitches and working at-bats. I was doing that well down there. So if I can do that up here, I feel like I鈥檓 in a good spot.鈥
Now, he鈥檚 starting with his hands lower before moving them up as he prepares to make contact, which he says is a mechanism to keep his shoulders in line and stay on the ball longer as he attempts to time it up.
In the minors, it worked. Schneider posted a .350 on-base percentage while hitting four home runs and six doubles in 38 games.
Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider makes a catch in left field against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Steve Russell 海角社区官网StarSchneider is at his best when he鈥檚 hitting low line drives and getting to pitches up in the strike zone, observed Lou Iannotti, one of the Jays’ assistant hitting coaches.
He needs to get behind the baseball and be quicker to adjust at the plate, which has been the focus of his early work back with the big-league team, he said.
For all of the improvements and work, Schneider hasn鈥檛 regained everyday playing time.
Though he appeared in the first two games after he was called up, much of the recent playing time at second base and left field has gone to Clement and Nathan Lukes, respectively.
Manager John Schneider envisions a part-time role for Schneider, playing against lefties to help provide power to a lineup that鈥檚 still finding its stroke in that department.
How Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes earned his team’s trust and finally carved a major-league role
Lukes appeared in more than 600 minor-league games between 2015 and 2022 before finally making his MLB debut. Now he’s a regular with the Jays.
How Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes earned his team’s trust and finally carved a major-league role
Lukes appeared in more than 600 minor-league games between 2015 and 2022 before finally making his MLB debut. Now he’s a regular with the Jays.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be every single day,鈥 John Schneider said. 鈥淏ut we want him to be productive and, hopefully, provide some power against left-handed pitching.鈥
He did just that Tuesday, launching an opposite-field home run off Phillies southpaw Cristopher S谩nchez and legging out an infield single in an 8-3 loss.聽聽
Though his early at-bats this time around have been promising 鈥 the manager said he controlled the zone and took good swings in his first couple of games 鈥 Schneider acknowledges that he isn’t there to hit every ball out of the ballpark.
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