Blue Jays' John Schneider Showers Newly Acquired Outfielder With Praise
In this story:
When the Toronto Blue Jays traded right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, they got back two prospects: infielder Ty Southisene and outfielder Brett Bateman.
It didn't take long for Toronto manager John Schneider to put Bateman into the lineup to make his major league debut. The Blue Jays traded Dalton Varsho to the Houston Astros, which opened up a spot in center field for Bateman. Schneider inserted him into the lineup and outfield and Bateman took the opportunity and ran with it.
On Tuesday night in the second game of a pivotal four-game series at home against the Boston Red Sox, Bateman played a big role in Toronto rallying from a 3-1 deficit to pick up a huge 5-3 win at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays' new middle outfielder went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, which drew some big praise from Schneider following the game.
John Schneider Praises New Outfielder, Brett Bateman
It is never easy to say goodbye to key contributors like Gauseman and Varsho. However, the return for Gauseman is quickly paying off, with Bateman, who is 6-for-22 with two doubles and three RBIs. It hasn't gone unnoticed by his new manager.
“You never know when you’re going to find a dude,” Schneider said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “Again, it’s a handful of games, but he has the potential with both his skills and the way he thinks, the way he can adjust, to be pretty damn good.”
It is a small sample size, but Bateman has made quite an impression early in his Toronto career. After Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, Bateman tied the game with an RBI double in the bottom half.
In the bottom of the fifth and the Blue Jays trailing 3-2, Bateman tied the game with an RBI single. What makes it even more impressive is that Schneider had him in the lineup facing a left-handed pitcher, Patrick Sandoval.
Normally, putting a young player in that type of situation is rare, especially someone just brought over in a trade, but there is no time for easy introductions for Toronto. After a second straight win over the Red Sox, Toronto inched to just 2.5 games back of the final American League wild-card spot. They still have to jump five teams to get into the third spot.
Boston will send two tough left-handers to the mound in the final two games of the series, Ranger Suárez and Payton Tolle. Will Schneider keep Bateman in the lineup? Sandoval isn't as tough as Suárez and Tolle, but Bateman has shown no fear in his short stint with the Blue Jays. Given Schneider's quote about Bateman being a "Dude", it wouldn't be surprising to see the veteran manager roll with the hot hand again against Suárez and Tolle.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.