Toronto Blue Jays' Slugging Rookie Continues to Lead the Pack in Baseball History

As the Blue Jays chase their second straight playoff berth, rookie Davis Schneider is out to a great start in his career.

The Toronto Blue Jays have won six of their last 10 games to move into sole possession of the third and final wild card spot in the American League.

They lead the Texas Rangers by 0.5 games after the Rangers were swept by the Houston Astros.

Part of the reason the Jays have been able to stay in the race in the second half of the season is the play of rookie infielder Davis Schneider, who is making baseball history through his first 20 games.

Per @StatsCentre:

(Related) Highest OPS in a player's first 20 career games (minimum 70 plate appearances) - MLB modern era (1900-present): 

1.358- Schneider (Via his HR and 2 BB today vs the A's) 

1.260- Alvin Davis 

1.229- Yasiel Puig 

1.226- Jeff Francoeur 

1.222- Willie McCovey 

1.214- George Scott

(Related) Highest OPS in a player's first 20 career games (minimum 70 plate appearances) - MLB modern era (1900-present):
1.358- Schneider (Via his HR and 2 BB today vs the A's)
1.260- Alvin Davis
1.229- Yasiel Puig
1.226- Jeff Francoeur
1.222- Willie McCovey
1.214- George Scott https://t.co/1aGN2XYdom

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) September 7, 2023

Schneider found himself hitting third in the Jays order in Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics, showing just how big an impact he's made thus far. He's hitting .385 through 65 at-bats with seven home runs and 19 RBI.

He's currently the No. 13 prospect in the Jays organization. The following comes from his MLB.com prospect profile:

It may not be a flashy brand of baseball, but Schneider has an advanced plate approach and knows how to get on base. There’s some legitimate pop in there too from his strong build. After 17 games at Triple-A in ’22, he handled the test provided by pitchers at that level, where he played second base, the corner outfield spots, first and third. Even if there aren’t true standout tools here, you don’t have to squint too hard to see how Schneider could continue to be a utility option for Toronto as a right-handed bat off the bench.

The Blue Jays will take on the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

First pitch is 7:07 p.m. ET.

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