The Blue Jays have a versatile, power-hitting prospect who is criminally underrated

Davis Schneider is the kind of player you want to root for, especially if you have an affinity for the underdog. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, he looks like someone who has no business becoming a successful professional baseball player.

Adding to this narrative, Schneider was not selected until the 28th round of the 2017 draft. Since then however, he has undergone an impressive rise through the Blue Jays' ranks.

Using being overlooked to his advantage

Perhaps not being taken seriously because of his size somehow helped Schneider. Certainly, he has mostly flown under the radar during his progression through the Jays' system.

However, one thing you can never evaluate or measure through scouting reports and statistics, is someone's heart and passion. Combined with Schneider's excellent work ethic, there has almost been no stopping him.

People finally noticed the 24-year-old, when he had his breakout campaign last year. He started off in High-A, but by season's end he had shown what he could do in Double-A and was producing at the Triple-A level.

Despite Schneider's impressive 2022 season, he continued to be almost criminally underrated. According to MLB.com's latest rankings, he was only ranked as the Blue Jays' 28th-best prospect for 2023.

Proving last year wasn't a fluke

Schneider's response was to show his production in 2022 -- specifically at the Triple-A level -- was no fluke. In fact, he has been even better than what he showed in 17 games for the Bisons last season.

Consider that last year, the Berlin, New Jersey native had a .233/.387/.400 slash line for Buffalo, together with a .787 OPS. This year by comparison, he is .248/.364/.523 and .887 respectively in 43 games.

As much as the Bisons have struggled to win regularly in 2023, Schneider has been consistently productive for them. This is best highlighted by him being one of the leaders on the team in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage.

Really this shouldn't be a surprise, when considering Schneider's ability to combine pure power with outstanding bat speed. Once again though, this is arguably a case of him being underrated due to his small build.

Consistent production not limited to offence

However, Scheider has also proved invaluable due to his versatility for the Bisons. More specifically, starting at left field (15 games), second base (15), DH (7) and third base (4) in 2023. (Heck, he's even previously pitched three innings at the lower levels, although the less said about this, the better.)

As if this isn't enough, Schneider has been error-free on defense, with a 1.000 fielding percentage in left field, as well as at third base. He has made just one defensive miscue at second base, his position by trade, in over 134 innings. Overall, he has been an all-around excellent player for the Bisons.

As things stand, the right-handed bat's expected time of arrival in the majors is sometime in 2024. If he continues to perform at his current level however -- combined with the Blue Jays' current struggles -- he could well be promoted at some point this year.