"The Buffalo Boys" brought joy to an otherwise disappointing season for the Blue Jays

Sep 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz (48) poses for a
Sep 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz (48) poses for a | Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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Davis Schneider

Finally, we have Davis Schneider, who did more than enough to earn a spot in the hearts of Blue Jays fans everywhere. He was selected in the 28th round (which no longer exists!) of the 2017 MLB Draft and had been quietly grinding through each level of the minors since.

It wasn't until 2022 that Schneider really began to see some attention brought to his name. He hit 16 home runs and had an impressive .823 OPS in 113 games between three levels of the minor leagues. To kick off the 2023 season, he hit 21 home runs in just 87 games for the Bisons, posting a .553 SLG and .969 OPS, which was more than enough to earn his first promotion to the big leagues.

Naturally, Schneider, the perfect underdog story, ran with the opportunity. He promptly homered in his first big league at-bat, hit another one two days later and then hit home runs in three straight games just under two weeks later. Schneider's run to start his career was setting records left and right and was putting him firmly in the spotlight. He's a low-key kind of guy who prefers to quietly go about his business, but there was no hiding from the big stage after starting a career like that.

What made Schneider so unique off the bat (pun intended) was how he handled pitchers making adjustments to him quickly. He had some self-assigned weaknesses early on, but he made adjustments of his own to branch off of what the opposition was throwing at him. This is an admirable trait that you typically only see out of established veterans. The guy is an absolute gamer and is fully deserving of all of the love he's received from Blue Jays fans.

Moving forward, this guy is not going anywhere. He may not have outright earned the starting second base gig in 2024 just yet, but he did plenty to put his name at or near the top of the list. He will have to compete with the likes of Clement, Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio for playing time, but we have yet to see a reason why he can't take the job and run with it.

Grade: A

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