Davis Schneider

Davis Schneider (born January 26, 1999) is an American professional baseball infielder and outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 28th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Early life and high school

Schneider was born to Steve and Elena Schneider, and has a brother and two sisters. He attended Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where his mother is a teacher. Before being drafted he played briefly for the South Jersey Giants of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL).

Professional career

Minor leagues

Schneider was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 28th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft on the recommendation of then-scout John Schneider. He made his professional debut that season with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, appearing in 50 games and recording a .238 batting average, four home runs, and 23 runs batted in (RBIs).

Schneider played 2018 with the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, and hit .233 with three home runs and 21 RBIs in 44 games. He split the 2019 season with Bluefield and the Short Season-A Vancouver Canadians, hitting .263 with six home runs and 31 RBIs. He did not play in 2020 due to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schneider returned in 2021 to play for the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays and Vancouver. In 49 games, he batted .229 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs. Schneider began 2022 with Vancouver, and was later promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. In a career-high 113 games, Schneider hit .253 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. He began the 2023 season with Buffalo, hitting .275 with 21 home runs, 64 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 87 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays promoted Schneider to the major leagues on August 4, 2023. In his first major league at-bat, Schneider hit a home run off James Paxton of the Boston Red Sox. He became the first player in MLB history to collect nine hits, which included two home runs, in his first three games. The nine hits matched a modern MLB record that dated back to 1901. Schneider set another high water mark after playing in 20 MLB games with a 1.358 OPS over that span, which was the highest in the modern era with a minimum of 70 plate appearances. Schneider donated his game-used debut uniform and gear to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He appeared in 35 games for the Blue Jays in 2023, hitting .276 with eight home runs, 20 RBIs, and a 1.008 OPS.

On May 31, 2024, Schneider hit his first career walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates, for a 14th inning 5-3 victory.

Notes

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)