Sunday, April 19

Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my second season covering Cleveland for MLB.com.

CLEVELAND -- One day, you may find Daniel Schneemann crashing into the outfield fence to make a catch. Another day, he might be patrolling the middle infield, or holding down the hot corner on an off-day for third baseman José Ramírez. 

At the plate, Schneemann could slice an opposite-field single or flip a game on its head with a grand slam -- as he did on Friday against the Orioles. Put another way, the 29-year-old is doing a little bit of everything for the Guardians in the early going this season.

“It’s been amazing to see what he’s been doing,” outfielder Steven Kwan said.

Schneemann has been a Swiss Army knife for the Guardians in recent seasons, and he's already made a start at four positions this year in center field, shortstop, second and third base. Combined with how he’s fared at the plate, he’s been one of the most valuable players on the roster.

Entering Saturday, Schneemann had a .313/.353/.563 slash line through his first 16 games this season, and he was tied with Ramírez for first on the Guardians in bWAR (0.9) among position players. 

“I've embraced that role. I enjoy moving around,” Schneemann said of his utility role. “I'm lucky. We're lucky. We’ve got a lot of guys on our staff that make sure we're prepared every single day.”

Schneemann, of course, deserves a ton of credit for the player he has developed into. He has one of the most inspirational stories of anyone on the Guardians’ roster, as a guy who beat the odds as a 33rd-round Draft pick in 2018 who made his big league debut in ‘24 at 27 years old.

Kwan recalled one day in 2019, when Schneemann was promoted and joined him in High-A with the Lynchburg Hillcats. Kwan was Cleveland’s fifth-round pick in ‘18, and Schneemann represented a familiar face. As the two began to catch up, Schneemann was called into the manager’s office. 

“He comes out [of the office], and I'm like, ‘Oh, what happened? They sent you down already?’” Kwan recalled. “And he's like, ‘Yeah, they did. The guy that I was here for, I guess is OK, so now they're sending me back.’ 

“And that felt just like the encapsulation of who they thought he was early on. Just a guy to send up and down. … He's a great person, obviously. For him to blossom into what he is, I think good things happen to good people.”

Schneemann has solidified himself as more than just a good story over the past few seasons. He’s been a crucial piece to the Guardians' operation given his ability to seamlessly move around the diamond. He's played every position but catcher and first base in the Majors. 

This season, Schneemann started in center field on Opening Day and for the Guardians’ April 3 home opener. In the latter, he made a leaping catch while soaring into the right-center-field wall to take away a hit from the Cubs’ Matt Shaw. 

Schneemann made his first start of the season at shortstop on Friday. Despite not playing there since the Cactus League, he took away a hit from Taylor Ward in the fifth by making a diving stop on a ground ball to his right.

Schneemann credited the Guardians’ staff for the work they do each day to keep guys ready. Cleveland embraces positional versatility on its roster. But the work he must do to stay ready each day is crucial. It’s what got him to the big leagues.

“Schnee is a self-made great player,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Our [player development staff] did a great job, obviously, all the way up. I want to give a lot of credit to them. But Schnee’s done this for himself. He's worked his backside off, and he continues to get better each year and each moment. He’s turned into a really, really good player.”

A smile came across Schneemann’s face in the seventh inning on Friday, as he trotted toward third base after belting his grand slam against the Orioles. Inside the Guardians’ third-base dugout, his teammates were pumping him up while celebrating.

The slam was a big swing in the game that broke a scoreless tie, and those inside the dugout were thrilled Schneemann was the one who delivered.

"I know everybody in that dugout loves to see Schnee succeed just because of how hard he works, and how good of a person he is," starter Tanner Bibee said. "Just seeing it show up on the baseball field is really awesome to see it."

• Could the race for the AL Rookie of the Year Award this summer come down to a pair of Guardians? Cleveland has at least two early contenders. Read more >>

• A bullpen that was the Guardians’ greatest focal point this winter has had some hiccups in the early going this season, including Friday against the Orioles. Read more >> 

• Tanner Bibee made a special announcement with his shoelaces on Friday as he completed a gender reveal for his older brother. Read more >>

“His pace is one of his strengths. Sometimes, we’ve got to slow him down a little bit, he works so fast. But I love it. I love that he gets the ball, gets on the rubber, and he's ready to go, ready to compete. He doesn't take a pitch off. It's very rare for a young pitcher like him.” -- Austin Hedges, on Parker Messick after the lefty's near no-hitter on Thursday

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