Davis Schneider is making a solid case to get the starting nod everyday

Coming into 2025, the discussion surrounding Davis Schneider often placed him in a bench role, primarily slotting in against left-handed pitchers. However, that conversation is slowly morphing, as he’s now crushing both righties and lefties, with a whole lot of power too. Thus far, he sports a .792 OPS against right-handed pitchers, which has led to skipper John Schneider giving him plenty of looks as of late. The 26-year-old from New Jersey is making a compelling case to be an everyday starter down the stretch.

Davis Schneider is making a solid case to get the starting nod everyday

Schneider has returned to form, doing what he does best: crushing the ball for slug and walking at an incredible clip. In the last game of the recent series versus the Minnesota Twins, Schneider put on a clinic, going two for two with a walk, two home runs, and two runs batted in.

His first tank of the night, barely snuck over the wall and had a launch angle of 45 degrees, which is unheard of, as it basically grazed the roof of the Rogers Centre. It's so rare, in fact, that it is tied for the highest launch angle for a Blue Jay home run in the Statcast era.

His second home run of the night, and his third multi-homer game this season, was a no-doubter that travelled 388 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph.

Following his recent multi-homer performance, Schneider has boosted his slash line over his last 15 games to an impressive .341/.400/.756, with five home runs. For a guy who has not earned too many starts over that span, his numbers are more than promising. What he's been able to do lately goes beyond being a “nice complementary piece,” he is making a legitimate case for an everyday role.

Schneider's ability to hit righties has been a pleasant surprise, as his young career has mostly involved him in the platoon role versus a lefty, as previously mentioned. Not only has he been better than in past years against right-handed pitching, but he has also been better versus them compared to lefties. This year, he has a .254 AVG versus righties compared to a .253 against lefties. His OPS against righties is also 97 ticks higher than lefties.

Since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier this season, Schneider has hit for an .868 OPS and a 143 wRC+ (43% better than a league average hitter). The process he's taken that has resulted in his resurgence comes down to his barrel rate of 17.7%, which is in MLB's 97th percentile over that span. Some of the players in that last three percent include Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and Juan Soto... some pretty decent company. His strong barrel rate has led to an uptick in exit velocities, as he currently sits at 90.6 mph, compared to his 88.6 mph last year.

Fans should give Schneider a whole lot of credit for how he has handled himself. He has made constant adjustments throughout his three years in the majors, after setting the world on fire in 2023, then having a poor year in 2024. He made the team this year but only found himself at the dish about 15 times before being sent down to Triple-A Buffalo. He came back from the minors firing on all cylinders, and he is now a very important part of this team, once again, despite sitting on the bench a lot.

So far this year, Davis Schneider is slashing .254/.373/.500 with an .873 OPS and 10 home runs.