General Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2024)

[Carlos Danger]

Are Phillies going to make him a full time 2B?

 

The Phillies have Stott at 2b.

[deanmike]

[Jimcanuck]

Pearson is working to add a splitter. Apparently he has been throwing MLB calibre good ones already.

[Laika]

 

DS is criminally underrated because of how his season ended. It's human bias.

 

His debut as a whole was fantastic and his projections are strong. He's probably a top 40 prospect objectively

[Spanky99]

DS is criminally underrated because of how his season ended. It's human bias.

 

His debut as a whole was fantastic and his projections are strong. He's probably a top 40 prospect objectively

 

Underrated by who, most I hear on Schneider is positive through BA, Roboscout and even Statcast spect lists?

 

f*** these guys and their 45's... he's an easy 50 after the season he had.

[Laika]

Underrated by who, most I hear on Schneider is positive through BA, Roboscout and even Statcast spect lists?

 

f*** these guys and their 45's... he's an easy 50 after the season he had.

 

Everyone who talks about 2B like it's even a question mark

 

Many pundits reference him likes he's just "in the mix" in the infield

[Spanky99]

Everyone who talks about 2B like it's even a question mark

 

He seemed fine in that sample we saw and was rated as an average 2nd baseman, he's fine.

 

I agree with you.

[Carlos Danger]

Everyone who talks about 2B like it's even a question mark

 

Many pundits reference him likes he's just "in the mix" in the infield

 

 

 

Probably because of this. Why wouldn't you have question marks.. He got what 0 ABs in the playoffs?

 

4 Blue Jays players who have no business being on the 2023 playoff roster

The decision could be tough and harsh, but which Blue Jays players should be left off the postseason roster?

 

In his first 21 games with the big league club, Schneider hit a scorching .403 with a 1.416 OPS, along with 18 runs scored, nine doubles, seven home runs, 19 RBI, 17 walks and 22 strikeouts. More importantly, the Jays went 14-7 in those games that he played, as he appeared to be unstoppable.

 

However, he is currently mired in quite the slump, as in his past 13 games, Schneider has only tallied three hits in a total of 50 plate appearances, posting a dreadful .067 batting average, .316 OPS with three runs scored, one home run, one RBI and 20 strikeouts. As a result, he has been noticeably absent from the starting lineup during the Jays’ crucial last week of play of the season.

 

Even though Schneider has had an amazing start to his MLB career, his recent extended slump is a huge concern as it showed that there were still some things he needs to work on at the big league level, especially when pitchers have finally figured him out.

[Laika]

Dumb

[saskjayfan]

Probably because of this. Why wouldn't you have question marks.. He got what 0 ABs in the playoffs?

 

4 Blue Jays players who have no business being on the 2023 playoff roster

The decision could be tough and harsh, but which Blue Jays players should be left off the postseason roster?

 

In his first 21 games with the big league club, Schneider hit a scorching .403 with a 1.416 OPS, along with 18 runs scored, nine doubles, seven home runs, 19 RBI, 17 walks and 22 strikeouts. More importantly, the Jays went 14-7 in those games that he played, as he appeared to be unstoppable.

 

However, he is currently mired in quite the slump, as in his past 13 games, Schneider has only tallied three hits in a total of 50 plate appearances, posting a dreadful .067 batting average, .316 OPS with three runs scored, one home run, one RBI and 20 strikeouts. As a result, he has been noticeably absent from the starting lineup during the JaysÂ’ crucial last week of play of the season.

 

Even though Schneider has had an amazing start to his MLB career, his recent extended slump is a huge concern as it showed that there were still some things he needs to work on at the big league level, especially when pitchers have finally figured him out.

 

It was naturally wrong to suggest Davis was the next Babe Ruth after his first 50 or 60 ABs because it wasn't a very big sample size. It's equally ridiculous to suggest that the league had figured him out based on 50 PA towards the end. That's a small sample size too. He had 3 line outs in one game against Boston and a 400 foot fly ball out a couple games later against the Yankees in that stretch.

 

As someone who's watched baseball my whole life, when players struggle they press and swing at pitches they would normally take. It's called a slump for a reason. Davis has a really good eye. That's a skill set that is really hard to teach. You can make mechanical adjustments to help increase contact. He's got swing and miss in his game, but he's also a short guy with a level swing. The bat stays in the zone a long time and creates a natural launch angle. He's got power.

 

We saw enough of Davis to know that he's going to take his walks. He's got some swing and miss so he'll strike out and he's also got power so he'll do damage when he makes contact. There's a reason Steamer has him projected to be 13 percent above league avg with the bat. There's a high likelyhood his OPS is north of .750. There's a chance it could be north of .800. Schneider will be fine. He's a guy people should be excited to see this year.

[BigCecil]

He seemed fine in that sample we saw and was rated as an average 2nd baseman, he's fine.

 

I agree with you.

 

To me Davis is one of the most interesting watches for this year. MLB is cruel. A historic beginning turns into ........ ?

 

Projections are solid. Uggla V 2.0? or an Eric Hinske ish?

[Jimcanuck]

To me Davis is one of the most interesting watches for this year. MLB is cruel. A historic beginning turns into ........ ?

 

Projections are solid. Uggla V 2.0? or an Eric Hinske ish?

 

Reasonable expectation should be Hinske ish, which is perfectly fine. He could be better, could be worse.

 

The worry has to be he has a lengthy slump, unable to adjust to what the pitchers are exploiting, and gets demoted.

[The_DH]

I think Schneider would probably benefit greatly from the Robo Ump. His slumps may be based on not understanding bad calls .

[Laika]

He hits tons of flyballs and strikes out at a decent clip so he will always have slumps. Every year he will have a horrible stretch or two.

 

But if you pussy out at the bottom, during his slumps, you won't benefit from the inevitable homer barrage.

 

Jack Suwinski is a really good comp of another current, young player like this. Broke into the league as a non-prospect and nobody thought much of him, but the Pirates suck and gave him a full season and he was a 3 win player.

 

.224/.339/.454

 

Schneider might have a slightly better hit tool than Suwinski, just looking at MiLB K rates.

[Laika]

From June 14th to June 28th, Jack Suwinski went one for forty-three.

 

In the following two weeks he went:

 

.333/.479/.667

[glory]

Schneider had 8 bad games after hitting like Barry Bonds for 1.5 months, and the Jays couldn't wait to bench him for Biggio. I wouldn't be too confident that DS will start everyday at 2B. It's possible, and he should given the projections, but I'm going to wait and see what they do. No scenario would really surprise me.

[John_Havok]

Not sure if mentioned yet but Pearson is working on a splitter in camp.

 

“We’re still working on it, but he threw some really good ones today that could be really effective at the major-league level,” Walker said. Pearson is competing for a spot in the bullpen and the Blue Jays view the right-hander as someone who could pitch up to three innings for them.

 

Walker on Yariel Rodriguez after his first side session:

 

"He’s got a lot of weapons. He’s got just about every pitch in the book from different angles,” Walker said. “He’s got a slight hesitation in the delivery. There are certainly some things there that are interesting, and we’ll just have to kind of fine-tune a little bit and find out what will really work the best at the major-league level.”

[John_Havok]

Nice fluff piece on Davis Schneider from the Athletic

• • •

 

Davis Schneider is a rookie at big-league camp but on a mission to be a Blue Jays mainstay

 

Kaitlyn McGrath

 

DUNEDIN, Fla. — After experiencing a year of firsts in the major leagues last season — his first game, his first at-bat, his first home run — Davis Schneider is experiencing another milestone this spring.

 

This is his first big-league spring training.

 

“We’ve been joking with him,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Guys are giving him a little bit of crap about that.”

 

The teasing has been playful, and mostly poking fun at Schneider’s unconventional progression from overnight big-league sensation to a first-time camp invitee. But there are advantages to doing things in reverse order. Namely, Schneider bypassed the whole wide-eyed experience of walking into his first major-league camp and instead arrived with a level of comfort rookies don’t usually have.

 

“I wasn’t here last year and I kind of felt left out because all my buddies were up here and I was on the minor-league side,” Davis Schneider said. “I still had obviously friends over there, but it’s a cool feeling being here right now with all these guys and I feel like I’m part of the team early in February already.”

 

Comfort does not equal complacency for Schneider, though. The 25-year-old infielder may have made MLB history with his 1.315 OPS through his first 25 career games along with a few other accolades during the sensational start to his career, but he has come into camp as one of a surplus of infielders competing for a spot on the opening-day roster and hopefully following his debut season with a second act just as compelling.

 

“You still got to compete with the guys here and you just got to make sure you go out there and give 100 percent each day because the decisions are up to everyone else,” Davis Schneider said. “The players aren’t the ones making decisions. You just got to go out there and make sure you’re giving that effort that you have and let the other things take care of itself.”

 

A year ago, Schneider’s big-league experience rivalled a Disney movie. A 28th-round draft pick in 2017, Schneider bulked up before the 2023 season and unlocked a new level of power. After his breakout performance in Triple A, he was called up to the Blue Jays in early August. In his first at-bat at Fenway Park, he hit a home run over the Green Monster and finished with an MLB-record nine hits and two homers in his first three games.

 

“I remember calling him later that night after his first game, and he was like, ‘What the heck just happened?’” said infielder Spencer Horwitz, who’s been Schneider’s minor-league teammate for the past four seasons “Everyone was so excited for him. It was really cool to see.”

 

Schneider, with his unique blend of power and patience, went on to hit .426/.526/.894 in 14 games in August and, as manager John Schneider put it, “he carried us for a while there last year,” as the Blue Jays clung to a playoff spot. His on-field heroics quickly captured the hearts of fans. Schneider endeared himself further with his unique look as a bespectacled moustached big-leaguer wearing Nike Air Monarchs — the unofficial shoe of dads everywhere — and his down-to-earth nature, which shone every time he took a photo with fans, even ones who were halting traffic.

 

“(It) still doesn’t feel like it happened?” Davis Schneider said of his incredible first month with the Jays. “I feel like that’s a good thing to have that mindset just because I don’t want to ever be complacent. I don’t want to ever be like, I made it and I just want to stay right here. I still want to try to do great things and try to do a little bit better than what I did last year. But it’s cool to look back at and see I am capable of doing those things and I want to continue to build off that success I had last year and I feel like I am capable of doing it.”

 

He slowed down considerably in his second month with Toronto and ended his season with a 2-for-35 stretch. Even amid the extended troubles, he said never felt too stressed out about his performance.

 

“No matter how high you are, you’re going to have that low to where you’re going to feel like this is like the end of the world — but I didn’t really feel like that last year,” Schneider said. “That mindset of, go out there and just give it 100 percent is what I had last year even when I was going bad. If I didn’t get a hit, so what? Just go out there and make sure the next at-bat, you’re giving it your all and feel like I’m going to do that this year a lot, too.”

 

After his whirlwind tour of the majors, Schneider’s life slowed down considerably in the offseason when he had the prototypical young adult experience and moved back to his hometown, where he lived in his parents’ basement. (Big leaguers, they’re just like us!) Berlin, New Jersey is a small town best known for its local farmer’s market, but Schneider, a self-described homebody, prefers it that way.

 

Now, during spring training, Schneider is sharing an apartment with Horwitz and Ernie Clement, and the trio spend their evenings playing the board game Settlers of Catan.

 

“I’m boring,” Schneider said. “I feel like I’m a boring, normal dude.”

 

The Blue Jays like what this boring, normal dude’s bat can do for their lineup, especially against left-handers, and sent Schneider home with instructions to spend the offseason working out primarily at second base and left field, the positions he would most likely see playing time at this season.

 

Schneider is still prepared to earn those opportunities and it will begin with a productive camp, which opens next week, with the first full-squad workout on Tuesday. Schneider will be trying to stand out in a crowded infield picture that includes Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Clement and Horwitz, along with non-roster camp invitees Eduardo Escobar and Daniel Vogelbach as well as prospects Orelvis Martinez and Addison Barger. That’s 10 guys vying for five roster spots, and there is a built-in assumption that Kiner-Falefa and Biggio will claim two of them.

 

“I’m trying to make the team and trying to do everything I can to be there,” said Horwitz, his roommate and a left-hitting first baseman. “And (Schneider’s) like, ‘Yeah, me too.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know if you’re going to make it, but you obviously have put yourself in a good spot.’ He’s definitely not taking it for granted what he did last year. I think it’s pushed him and motivated him more.”

 

It’s his friend’s humanity that most stands out to Horwitz.

 

“One word to describe him would be kind — he’s a very kind soul, kind person and it comes from his family,” Horwitz said of Schneider. “On the weekends, what does he do? He golfs, he hangs out with his dog. He works out. He’s a very approachable person. And I think that’s why so many people have latched onto him. People can see themselves in him and I think that’s what they enjoy a lot.”

 

Schneider fondly remembers how Blue Jays fans got behind him, none more so than an at-bat during the final series of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. Schneider was in the midst of his extended hitless streak. When he walked up to the plate in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter, he heard a rousing applause.

 

“I struck out on three pitches, though, but when I came up to the plate, it was like the crowd went nuts and that was my favourite at-bat just because the fans understood,” he said.

 

After a first year filled with surreal moments like that, Schneider is eager to get back to the big leagues. But not before putting the work in this spring.

 

“It’s a new year, anything could happen. Still trying to go out there and compete with these guys,” Schneider said. “Lot of good guys on this team that you got to compete with. You’re obviously competing with 29 other teams … but spring training is for competition within the individual team and you want to push each other to work hard and I feel like this team will do that.”

[max silver]

Not sure if mentioned yet but Pearson is working on a splitter in camp.

 

“We’re still working on it, but he threw some really good ones today that could be really effective at the major-league level,” Walker said. Pearson is competing for a spot in the bullpen and the Blue Jays view the right-hander as someone who could pitch up to three innings for them.

 

Walker on Yariel Rodriguez after his first side session:

 

"He’s got a lot of weapons. He’s got just about every pitch in the book from different angles,” Walker said. “He’s got a slight hesitation in the delivery. There are certainly some things there that are interesting, and we’ll just have to kind of fine-tune a little bit and find out what will really work the best at the major-league level.”

 

Nate can be a weapon out of the pen if he can iron out his command to the point where he can at least place his offspeed pitches near the strike zone. The opposition can just sit and wait for mistake heaters because they can effectively spit on everything else. Maybe adding a splitter can at least give the opposition to think about in the likely scenario that Nate has no feel for the offspeed stuff on a given day. It could also serve to disrupt the timing of the opposition when they are gearing up for the heater. Nate still has tremendous stuff as evidenced by a 127 stuff+ overall rating, including 118 for the heater and 140's for both the curveball and slider. I do have a bit of trepidation that adding another pitch to the arsenal of a guy with serious command issues though.

 

I'm very curious to get an eye on Rodriguez against major league hitters. I recall that the stuff+ system absolutely hates his4 seamer and gives it a ranking similar to Ryu's mid to high 80's fastball. It features very high spin and sit's mid 90's while featuring a bit of a cutter shape, so hopefully this is just a case of an outlier fastball that sort of breaks the stuff+ system. Rodriguez is maybe the offseason's most interesting pickup in that we simply don't know what kind of role he's going to fulfill moving forward. He's being stretched out as a starter in spring, and if he can even manage to become a good back of the rotation arm this deal offers a lot of upside. If his success out of the pen in Japan transfers to MLB he could also develop into a high octane leverage reliever so there are multiple avenues for this deal to pay big time dividends.

[keggy]

Nate can be a weapon out of the pen if he can iron out his command to the point where he can at least place his offspeed pitches near the strike zone. The opposition can just sit and wait for mistake heaters because they can effectively spit on everything else. Maybe adding a splitter can at least give the opposition to think about in the likely scenario that Nate has no feel for the offspeed stuff on a given day. It could also serve to disrupt the timing of the opposition when they are gearing up for the heater. Nate still has tremendous stuff as evidenced by a 127 stuff+ overall rating, including 118 for the heater and 140's for both the curveball and slider. I do have a bit of trepidation that adding another pitch to the arsenal of a guy with serious command issues though.

 

I don't like this move at all. The splitter is purely a whiff pitch that works when you have fastball command, which Nate doesn't have.

 

I'm sure this sounds old school but wild pitchers need to learn to repeat their delivery to develop command, not tinker with 5 pitches looking for the tiniest of advantages. The guy has like 75 IP in his entire career with garbage command.

 

If I'm Whiskey Pete, I tell Pearson to just spam fastball and one breaking ball. Probably curveball because it has less tilt than the slider so easier to control. If he learns to flip the curveball for a strike just once per AB hitters will be overmatched by the fastball. I really don't like how the team develops pitchers.

[Stangstag]

Im so over Nate Pearson. Dude is a bust and nothing to get excited about at all. His new “splitter” likely gets hammered into the seats no less than 5 times this spring

[max silver]

I don't like this move at all. The splitter is purely a whiff pitch that works when you have fastball command, which Nate doesn't have.

 

I'm sure this sounds old school but wild pitchers need to learn to repeat their delivery to develop command, not tinker with 5 pitches looking for the tiniest of advantages. The guy has like 75 IP in his entire career with garbage command.

 

If I'm Whiskey Pete, I tell Pearson to just spam fastball and one breaking ball. Probably curveball because it has less tilt than the slider so easier to control. If he learns to flip the curveball for a strike just once per AB hitters will be overmatched by the fastball. I really don't like how the team develops pitchers.

 

There are plenty of success stories with this organization helping to turn around struggling pitchers. Stripling had a great year with the club, as did Matz. Ray won a Cy Young award, Kikuchi went from being one of baseball's worst starters to a mid rotation level of performer etc.

[max silver]

Im so over Nate Pearson. Dude is a bust and nothing to get excited about at all. His new “splitter” likely gets hammered into the seats no less than 5 times this spring

 

The team might as well keep giving the guy chances until he runs out of options. This is a bit of a make it or break it season for him as at the very least he needs to show the team that he can provide some effective innings. Otherwise he would need to make the team out of spring training or would face the waiver wire. Given the premium stuff he'd be certain to be picked up by someone hoping to turn him around. It would be a nightmare scenario to lose the dude for nothing and see him develop into a closer for someone else.

[Laika]

Pearson

 

62% FB, 24% SL, 14% CB

 

FB:

stuff = 118 (elite)

location = 93 (horrible)

 

SL:

stuff = 140 (elite)

location = 93 (horrible)

 

CB:

stuff = 140 (elite)

location = 89 (horrible)

 

 

 

It's POSSIBLE to be a great reliever with 93 location+, but it is still hard.

 

I don't really think he needs another whiff pitch, he just needs something he can locate. A little bullet slider, gyro slider, something like that.

Maybe if his splitter is more of a split change that he can surprise people with for strikes it can be a difference maker but I dunno. Doesn't seem like the thing he needs.

 

The goals for him seem out of whack. Ship has sailed on him being a bulk guy. He should have tunnel vision on being a lock down one inning reliever. His Stuff+ and Location+ do track with some elite relievers, like Bryan Abreu.

[max silver]

I don't like this move at all. The splitter is purely a whiff pitch that works when you have fastball command, which Nate doesn't have.

 

I'm sure this sounds old school but wild pitchers need to learn to repeat their delivery to develop command, not tinker with 5 pitches looking for the tiniest of advantages. The guy has like 75 IP in his entire career with garbage command.

 

If I'm Whiskey Pete, I tell Pearson to just spam fastball and one breaking ball. Probably curveball because it has less tilt than the slider so easier to control. If he learns to flip the curveball for a strike just once per AB hitters will be overmatched by the fastball. I really don't like how the team develops pitchers.

 

I'm fine with whatever direction they go. If Nate can learn an effective splitter it could really help him moving forward. He doesn't quite have the same type of stuff as someone like Felix Bautista (139 stuff+ 94 location+) vs the 127 stuff+ 93 command+ for Nate. Bautista is the template for a high octane fastball/splitter/slider pitcher being an absolute terror for opposition hitters despite featuring similarly poor command to Nate.

[connorp]

The team might as well keep giving the guy chances until he runs out of options. This is a bit of a make it or break it season for him as at the very least he needs to show the team that he can provide some effective innings. Otherwise he would need to make the team out of spring training or would face the waiver wire. Given the premium stuff he'd be certain to be picked up by someone hoping to turn him around. It would be a nightmare scenario to lose the dude for nothing and see him develop into a closer for someone else.

 

The eternal optimist. How many more years of “make-or-break seasons” does he get exactly? I know it’s only “a bit of” to you lol. Some would say that was 3 years ago. At this point he’s just trying to prove he’s a mlb pitcher in smaller role

[MikeM3]

A splitter is a whiff out of zone pitch, not an earned strike pitch. It will probably add nothing for him. He needs to find strikes in the zone.

[max silver]

The eternal optimist. How many more years of “make-or-break seasons” does he get exactly? I know it’s only “a bit of” to you lol. Some would say that was 3 years ago. At this point he’s just trying to prove he’s a mlb pitcher in smaller role

 

There's no harm in giving this chance given the incredibly high ceiling he possesses. If he ever puts everything together he could be a high octane closer. Even if he's a step below and becomes a fireballing multiple inning reliever that's a fantastic outcome as well. The chances are obviously less than great but the potential upside makes it well worth giving him another opportunity.

[Laika]

A splitter is a whiff out of zone pitch, not an earned strike pitch. It will probably add nothing for him. He needs to find strikes in the zone.

 

Yeah I don't see it

 

Maybe he has a get-me-over slider but he was too predictable last year so it got nuked, and a splitter would help people get off of it.

 

turn 62% FB, 38% breaking ball mix into something more like 50%-35%-15%

[MikeM3]

Yeah I don't see it

 

Maybe he has a get-me-over slider but he was too predictable last year so it got nuked, and a splitter would help people get off of it.

 

turn 62% FB, 38% breaking ball mix into something more like 50%-35%-15%

 

15% splitters to the back stop