TORONTO — Davis Schneider had just finished hustling around the bases and sliding head first into third base. His triple to right-centre field cashed in two runs and extended the Blue Jays’ lead over the New York Mets.
However, instead of celebrating in the way you’d typically see from a player who just put a charge into the stadium, Schneider remained stoic. He acknowledged his teammates with a quick biceps flex but that was it.
Despite that calm exterior, though, there was almost assuredly more going on inside his mind. After all, those were the first runs Schneider has driven in since July 29 and the triple represented just his fifth hit since that date.
To say he needed that pivotal moment would be an understatement.
“It’s been a while since I had an RBI,” Schneider said following the Blue Jays’ 6-2 win over the Mets on Tuesday at Rogers Centre. “I forget, I don’t know how long it was, but as long as we’re winning games, it doesn’t really matter what I do on the field. But it’s good to know that I contributed tonight.”
Added manager John Schneider: “Big part of the game right there with that swing, obviously. Just happy for him. Hopefully this will kind of let him take a deep breath.”
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This season simply hasn’t gone the way Davis Schneider envisioned. After a magical 2023 campaign in which he arrived in the majors, earned the nickname “Babe” and posted a 174 OPS-plus over 35 games, the follow-up has been less than spectacular.
Schneider enjoyed a stellar April and May but has struggled mightily since then. Pitchers have continued to pound him with four-seam fastballs and the second baseman/left-fielder hasn’t been able to adjust.
Last season, 29.8 per cent of the pitches Schneider saw were four-seamers and he hit .273 against them. This year, though, not including Tuesday’s contest, pitchers have been throwing it 34.6 per cent of the time and Schneider has responded with just a .115 average.
On the season, he’s batting .192 with a .621 OPS and while he does have 10 home runs, none have come after June.
Those struggles haven’t impacted his demeanour, according to those around the team. Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt, who earned the win in Tuesday’s contest, raved about how Schneider has handled his extended rough patch and says the veterans in the clubhouse share his opinion.
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“When you fail at this game, you kind of find out who a person is,” Bassitt said. “He’s probably the first one at the ballpark every single day. I’m a guy who likes to show up pretty early and I haven’t beat him here yet. So yeah, he shows up early, he gets his work in. He’s constantly in a good mood every single day. His struggles haven’t really been shown.”
Schneider praised his teammates for helping him stay positive and added that he’s been trying to avoid bringing his woes home at the end of the day. He says sticking to the process has offered him direction and comfort.
“I take this job seriously,” said Schneider. “You got to come to the park each day and you got to put in the work in to see the results. Obviously, I haven’t really been playing the best these past couple of months, but as long as I’m here playing baseball, I’m going to work my ass off to do the job and make sure I’m giving 100 per cent out there.”
“I’ve had slumps before, I’m going to have slumps in the future,” he added. “But it doesn’t really matter. I’m still going to make sure I’m putting in the work and the results will take care of itself on the field.”
Even with that effort, Schneider’s struggles have muddied his position on the Blue Jays’ roster going forward. Whereas he entered spring training this year as a virtual lock to make the team, you could make the argument that the same won’t be true when camp opens in 2025.
Spencer Horwitz, Will Wagner, Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger and Joey Loperfido have all entered the picture this season and enjoyed varying degrees of success. There will only so much playing time to go around next season, especially if the club acquires more talent through off-season trades or free agency, and so that will likely create a musical-chairs scenario on the roster.
The Blue Jays have seen the potential that Schneider carries and so, finding out if they can reignite his bat remains a goal over the season’s remaining games.
“I think the fact that he’s shown that he’s had success here, you want him to try to get back to that,” said manager John Schneider. “And the only way you can do it is to go out and perform. So, credit to him for keeping his head down, [credit to] the guys in the clubhouse [who] continue to have his back.
“He’s an easy guy to root for.”
