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“I’m not 18 any more ... (and) I’m not what you’d call a ground-ball hitter,” Schneider said recently. “Once I got older, those warning-track fly balls started going over the fence.”

Schneider — drafted 849th overall in 2017 — has also led the Jays’ top farm team in runs batted in and walks, but it’s his all-around game that could be the ticket to the big leagues for a prospect ranked 28th in Toronto’s system by .

While he says that isn’t his focus, the Jays have been looking for more consistency at second base in particular. He also bats right-handed, another area of need for the Jays.

“I started to hit the ball the way I wanted to last year, and I wanted to keep that going into this season ... (but) I was hitting something like .130 in April,” Schneider said. “And it was cold and rainy here in Buffalo, so there was a lot of things going on that way. As the weather got warmer, I started hitting the ball better.”

The five-foot-nine, 190-pound Schneider, who has also played some first base on occasion, gives a lot of credit to Bisons hitting coach Matt Hague.

“I’ve gone through some rough spots here and there, where my swing felt off, but he put me back in a place where I needed to be,” said Schneider. “Having him as a batting coach has been great for me.”

Strikeouts have been a problem — he also leads the Bisons in that category — but he has managed to reduce his strikeout rate from just over 26 per cent last season to about 23 per cent now.

“I had to cut down on the strikeouts,” he said. “And playing left field, it wasn’t my primary position,” Schneider said. “I’m getting used to it, and it helps me improve my versatility as a player. (Bisons manager) Casey Candaele pushes pitching and defence. We do defensive drills every day, and if you’re not good at your position the team won’t win games.”

Candaele is a seasoned manager who keeps players focused on the task at hand, not potential promotions. Schneider is grateful for that.

“He wants us to win, and he expects you to go out and play hard every day,” Schneider said. “With a manager like that, it makes it easier to stay in the moment.”