Examining Davis Schneider’s All-Star candidacy

With the MLB All-Star game set to take place on July 16th in Arlington, Texas, let’s take a look at a Blue Jay that may have a chance to earn himself an invite to the annual showcase.

Despite waking up Wednesday morning in last place in the American League East, the team is guaranteed at least one representative. That player could easily be a pitcher like José Berríos, but there’s also a chance that Toronto’s spokesman could be everybody’s favourite mustachioed 2nd basemen/left fielder, Davis Schneider.

Ever since the tale end of last season, the Berlin, New Jersey native has surpassed all expectations and become an out-of-nowhere star for the Blue Jays. We’re talking about a guy who was ranked 28th on MLB.com’s list of the team’s top prospects entering last season. When you look at his Minor League numbers from 2017 through 2023, you can see that he put up consistently solid numbers each year. He may have lacked the stand out tools that other prospects had in the system, but his strong numbers allowed him to slowly climb the Blue Jays organizational ladder.

After an insanely productive start after being called up on August 4th, Schneider cooled off down the stretch, including a 0-31 stretch to end the season. This made some wonder if he would be a player the team would count on much in 2024, but after two full months in the book this season, it’s safe to say that the utility man is a pivotal part of this team.

Schneider ranks third on the team in fWAR (1.2), trailing Dalton Varsho (1.9) and Danny Jansen (1.3). Although you could quite easily make an argument that Varsho or Jansen have been more productive this season, the positional flexibility offers hope that Schneider could get the All-Star nod instead.

Some of the game’s best hitters are often outfielders, making it that much more difficult to be elected when considering that Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Kyle Tucker are locks to be selected for the AL squad. That leaves only a couple more spots for outfielders, which may hurt Varsho’s case. As for catchers, three players are typically selected, with Jansen likely on the outside looking in at Adley Rutschman, Salvador Pérez, and Ryan Jeffers, who have superior numbers thus far. This isn’t to say that Varsho or Jansen can’t still earn a selection, but their position makes it more difficult to do so.

The positional flexibility of Schneider to be able to play both 2nd base and a corner outfield spot may make him the perfect candidate to make the team. He likely has to keep hitting well and raise his .800 OPS by the time June is over, but there’s a path for him to represent the team. It also wouldn’t hurt if he had a few more iconic moments along the way, like his 14th inning walk off homerun last weekend.

Schneider making the All-Star game would be a fun storyline, and would give many other baseball fans outside of Toronto some more exposure to the 25-year old. He represents a success story for players who put up solid numbers but may lack a standout tool, and may teach us to never to rule out a ‘non-prospect’ who may not have the highest expectations.