Top 5 Blue Jays storylines to monitor this spring training

Davis Schneider’s usage

When Davis Schneider burst onto the scene last August, he gave the Jays and their faithful the impression of a lifetime when he practically single-handedly won the series against the Red Sox. In doing so, he set the MLB record by finishing with 9 hits and 2 home runs in his first three games of his career. Schneider continued his dominance for a few weeks before fading a bit down the stretch.

Nevertheless, he amassed a solid .276 batting average, an impressive 1.008 WHIP, along with 23 runs scored, 8 home runs and 20 RBI in just 35 games played. Over a 162 game schedule pace, we are talking about a legitimate big league hitter that could produce 106 runs scored, 37 home runs and 93 RBI of production.

More importantly, Schneider showed his versatility in the field, as he made starts at second base, third base and left field. Overall, he displayed some steady, solid defence, committing only one error in 85 total chances for a .988 fielding percentage along with 0 DRS. This flexibility will be key for him heading into this year.

For this spring training, Schneider will look to battle it out for a starting spot on the Jays’ Opening Day roster. In addition, the Jays have already planned to utilize Schneider both at second base and left field. If that is the case, he will potentially cut into the playing time of the likes of Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. How it eventually will play out will depend how big of a spring Schneider ends up having.