Local Stache

 

Y'know...when a guy comes out of absolutely nowhere and hits .374 with 19 RBIs and 7 home runs in his first 24 MLB games ever, you don't easily ignore that. And not when said guy begins his career with 7 hits and 2 homers over the course of his first three games. That is offensive production right off the bat, and rare in an age where everyone's swinging for the fences. That doesn't happen everyday, and when somebody does play like that immediately, there's some sort of consequence, like the manager decides not to like you and benches you, or you wind up needing Tommy John surgery 10 days into your MLB career. 

But Davis Schneider is still one of the most jarring stories in the majors. A month ago he wasn't there, the Blue Jays had their infield pretty much settled, and then suddenly BAM, there he is, hitting like hell and trading starts at 2nd with Merrifield. 

And you wanna know the strangest thing about Davis Schneider? He's a local product. Dude's from Voorhees, NJ, which is literally the next town over from me; I'm pretty much on the edge, you can have an elbow in Voorhees if you're not lucky, but it's one of those places where if you have an elbow within city limits they charge you. Voorhees  is already known for producing an MLB product, that being Andrew Bailey, the 2009 ROY-winning A's closer, though Bailey went to Paul VI rather than Eastern High, which is where Schneider graduated from. Bailey, though, flamed out after a year or so, and while I can't say that Schneider won't do the same, coming up as a rookie closer is different from coming up as a rookie infielder. 

Schneider has this exclamation point to him that I cannot explain. And it isn't just 'in this lineup containing three sons of former major leaguers and multiple All-Stars, here is a guy from Voorhees.' Like, you've gotta be really good if you're potentially taking 2nd base from the guy who made an All-Star team at 2nd this year. And yes, it's a bit easier for him to slide in if there's an open infield position thanks to Chapman's injury, but Merrifield has that mutual option that, even with his excellent year, you're not entirely sure if the Jays are gonna take. There may be a hole at 2nd next year, and Schneider could best Santiago Espinal for the job, assuming Espinal is still in this organization next year. 

The thing is, I don't think the Blue Jays had any clue how much was gained from throwing Schneider into the mix. They've had some rookies that have impacted things slightly, like Spencer Horwitz and Nathan Lukes, but Schneider's got a 2.2 WAR already; Vlad Jr.'s played 140 games and he has a 1.3 WAR. Plus, since the Jays brought up Schneider they're 19-14, which has honestly been a bit more progressive than previous stretches. I don't know if he's 'the missing piece', as that discredits the bang-up job the rotation's been doing, as well as the great performers that have helped the Jays thus far, but things seem a lot firmer with Davis Schneider here vs. without.

Toronto is currently in possession of the second Wild Card spot, but is within a game or so of both the Rangers and Mariners, both of whom want spots as well. It's not out of the question for both of them to take it, so the Jays need to stay hot, and keep the competitors at bay in order to secure a surer playoff seed than last time. I'd really love for them to finally prove something in October after all these years of missing out.

Coming Tomorrow- A few weeks ago the Marlins were long shots for a playoff spot. Now one of their young outfielders have punted them back into the conversation.