<p>On a rainy Thursday night in Bradenton, Fla., Davis Schneider showed why he&#8217;ll likely be playing more than just second base this season.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The 25-year-old, appearing in his 15th Grapefruit League game of the spring, was pencilled into the Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup in left field as the club visited the Pittsburgh Pirates &#8211; a game started by top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann. But the explosive left-hander wasn&#8217;t the only one that impressed under the lights.</p>
<p>Shortly after Tiedemann departed in the fourth inning, replaced by non-roster invitee Paolo Espino, Schneider made a highlight-reel diving grab in left to steal a hit from Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski, whose 102.7-m.p.h. line drive produced a .630 xAVG.</p>
<p>Schneider, a natural infielder, underran the ball initially on his route but closed the gap quickly before reaching over his shoulder to record the out on a play that should be an early-season favourite for catch of the year.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Opening Day isn&#39;t until next Thursday, but Davis Schneider has already submitted this ridiculous web 💎 for catch of the year. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> <a href="https://t.co/KYTlOAl8E9">pic.twitter.com/KYTlOAl8E9</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Thomas Hall (@Hall_Thomas_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hall_Thomas_/status/1770953000489537985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>At the plate, the right-handed hitter went 1-for-3 with a single and two flyouts in Toronto&#8217;s 3-2 victory. He entered Thursday&#8217;s affair with six hits, including two home runs, across 35 at-bats.</p>
<p>With the Blue Jays unlikely to break camp with a traditional fourth outfielder, Schneider is expected to spend time in the outfield this season when his club faces a left-handed starter, forcing Daulton Varsho or Kevin Kiermaier to the bench. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ernie Clement &#8211; who started in left field on Wednesday &#8211; will also likely share duties with Schneider in those matchups.</p>
<p>More often than not, though, the 28th-round selection from 2017 will primarily be deployed up the middle on the right side of the infield.</p>
<p>Last season&#8217;s rookie sensation broke into the majors during a memorable weekend series at Fenway Park, where he homered in his first big-league plate appearance off Boston Red Sox hurler and B.C. native James Paxton. He went 9-for-13 in that series, posting two bombs and five RBIs while reaching base safely 11 times.</p>
<p>After leading Triple-A Buffalo in home runs (21), Schneider blasted eight more in 35 games with the Blue Jays to conclude the regular season, slashing .276/.404/.603 with a 176 wRC+, worth 2.0 fWAR.</p>
<hr />
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center"><a href="https://switchboard.actionnetwork.com/offers?affiliateId=931&amp;campaignId=6242&amp;context=web-book-review-page&amp;stateCode=ON&amp;propertyId=324" target="_blank" rel="noopener external noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61491" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></p>

On a rainy Thursday night in Bradenton, Fla., Davis Schneider showed why he'll likely be playing more than just second base this season.



The 25-year-old, appearing in his 15th Grapefruit League game of the spring, was pencilled into the Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup in left field as the club visited the Pittsburgh Pirates - a game started by top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann. But the explosive left-hander wasn't the only one that impressed under the lights.

Shortly after Tiedemann departed in the fourth inning, replaced by non-roster invitee Paolo Espino, Schneider made a highlight-reel diving grab in left to steal a hit from Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski, whose 102.7-m.p.h. line drive produced a .630 xAVG.

Schneider, a natural infielder, underran the ball initially on his route but closed the gap quickly before reaching over his shoulder to record the out on a play that should be an early-season favourite for catch of the year.

https://twitter.com/Hall_Thomas_/status/1770953000489537985

At the plate, the right-handed hitter went 1-for-3 with a single and two flyouts in Toronto's 3-2 victory. He entered Thursday's affair with six hits, including two home runs, across 35 at-bats.

With the Blue Jays unlikely to break camp with a traditional fourth outfielder, Schneider is expected to spend time in the outfield this season when his club faces a left-handed starter, forcing Daulton Varsho or Kevin Kiermaier to the bench. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ernie Clement - who started in left field on Wednesday - will also likely share duties with Schneider in those matchups.

More often than not, though, the 28th-round selection from 2017 will primarily be deployed up the middle on the right side of the infield.

Last season's rookie sensation broke into the majors during a memorable weekend series at Fenway Park, where he homered in his first big-league plate appearance off Boston Red Sox hurler and B.C. native James Paxton. He went 9-for-13 in that series, posting two bombs and five RBIs while reaching base safely 11 times.

After leading Triple-A Buffalo in home runs (21), Schneider blasted eight more in 35 games with the Blue Jays to conclude the regular season, slashing .276/.404/.603 with a 176 wRC+, worth 2.0 fWAR.

<hr />

<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center"><a href="https://switchboard.actionnetwork.com/offers?affiliateId=931&amp;campaignId=6242&amp;context=web-book-review-page&amp;stateCode=ON&amp;propertyId=324" target="_blank" rel="noopener external noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61491" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

WATCH: Davis Schneider makes sensational leaping grab in left field versus Pirates

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes (38) is congratulated by third baseman Addison Barger (47) after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Recent articles from Thomas Hall

Breaking News