DUNEDIN, Fla. – Davis Schneider is getting his first taste of big-league training camp even though he’s no longer a rookie.
The infielder had a memorable debut with the Toronto Blue Jays last August by hitting a homer in his first at-bat after getting a callup from Triple-A Buffalo. Schneider went on to enjoy a record-breaking month before cooling off in September.
Now the 25-year-old is fighting for a job at second base — or potentially as a backup infielder/outfielder — at the team’s player development complex.
“He wasn’t even an invite last year so he’s kind of a new guy still,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday. “He’s proven himself, he can compete at this level and perform really well.
“I think what he went through — good and bad — last year has really helped him (with) understanding what kind of player he is.
Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 28th round — 849th overall — in 2017, Schneider posted solid offensive numbers with the Bisons over parts of the last two seasons.
He made an immediate impact when he got a chance at the big-league level.
Schneider was an offensive force in his first series at Boston and soon found himself batting in the heart of the order. He had an eye-popping OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.315 — the best mark through 25 games in MLB history — to go with a .370 average.
A nasty slump followed during the stretch drive but Schneider still finished with eight homers and 20 RBIs over 35 games to go with a .276 average and 1.007 OPS.