The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t add a significant bat at the trade deadline, but they’re about to see if they had one within the organization all along.
Rookie infielder Davis Schneider is joining the team for its weekend series against the Boston Red Sox and will hit seventh in his MLB debut. Pitcher Thomas Hatch was designated for assignment to clear room on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster.
When it comes to Schneider’s ascendance, there are two sides to the story. First, it’s worth acknowledging that we’re witnessing an unlikely feel-good human moment.
Schneider was selected in the 28th round of the MLB Draft and initially looked on track to become an organizational player with little hope of making the major leagues. He spent two-and-a-half seasons playing at the Rookie level before he finally reached Low-A at the end of 2019.
After his 2020 season was wiped out by COVID-19, he started back up at High-A. He’s been climbing — and producing — ever since.
Blue Jays prosepct Davis Schneider was having a productive season at Triple-A (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Image)
Even though he’s posted a wRC+ of 118 or more at each level since 2021, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound infielder hasn’t garnered much attention until this season. Prior to the open of 2023, FanGraphs released a Blue Jays prospect list that ranked the top-41 players in the team’s farm system — plus 24 other “prospects of note.” Schneider did not get a mention.
But this year, what he’s done at Triple-A has been difficult to miss.
Schneider has slashed .275/.416/.553 with 21 home runs for a 140 wRC+. His OPS (.969) ranks eighth in the International League, and no player has taken more walks (72). Going from a player struggling to escape the lowest rung of the minor leagues to one of the most feared hitters at Triple-A is a massive accomplishment.
Because Schneider is a 24-year-old who only had 75 plate appearances with the Buffalo Bisons prior to 2023, this also isn’t a case of a player far too old to be a prospect finding a groove at Triple-A after seeing it for a few seasons. Schneider has shown legitimate promise.
Making it to Toronto in the first place is a major accomplishment, but the second part of this story is what he can do in a Blue Jays uniform to help the 2023 team. That’s tough to project.
Schneider isn’t coming with an everyday job lined up. He’s likely to get at-bats against left-handed pitching, and his role will only expand if he forces the team’s hand. The issue for the 24-year-old is that he’s been better against right-handed pitchers than southpaws in each of the last two seasons.
In 2023, that split is dramatic, with Schneider posting a 1.070 OPS against righties and a .748 mark against left-handers. The samples are small there, but he doesn’t come to the Blue Jays as an obvious lefty masher.
Expectations should remain in check for a player who hasn’t been seen as a possible big leaguer until recently. FanGraphs’ Steamer projection system has Schneider producing a .229/.331/.401 line — good for a 106 wRC+. That kind of production would be helpful for the Blue Jays, but it wouldn’t be a paradigm shifter for an underachieving offence.
Toronto is trying to catch lightning in a bottle here, and based on what Schneider has done at Triple-A it might just work. If it does, his positional versatility will make him easy to slot into the lineup if his production demands a large role. He’s played at least six games at four different positions in 2023, with extensive looks at second base and left field.
If Schneider can’t rise to the latest challenge, the cost won’t be particularly high as Toronto can replace him on their bench with another internal option they give limited at-bats to — or an external player who gets DFA’d.
If the unheralded infielder can keep him magical 2023 going at the highest level, the Blue Jays’ trade deadline will look a little less underwhelming.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
