John Schneider has a new pair of cleats that he needs to break in. It would be quite inconvenient for him to pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the home run derby on Monday with blisters on his feet.
Last month, while in New York, the Blue Jays coach was approached by a representative from Under Armour. They asked for his shoe size because Guerrero is an Under Armour athlete, and the sports apparel brand was planning to create an all-star edition of cleats for him. They wanted Schneider’s size-13 footwear to match Guerrero’s.
Schneider agreed without hesitation. He considers himself more of a supporting role at the moment, so he’s willing to do whatever is necessary. Consequently, he now has to break in his new shoes.
This is just one part of Schneider’s meticulous plan to ensure that he doesn’t mess things up for his 20-year-old protege.
Throwing batting practice to Guerrero is nothing new for Schneider. As a former catcher, he threw to the slugger every day in Dunedin in 2017 and New Hampshire in 2018 when he managed the Jays’ Class-A advanced and Double-A affiliates. When Guerrero was promoted to the big leagues in April, he also hit off Schneider until defensive drills required him to switch to another group.
For the MLB all-star festivities in Cleveland, Guerrero quickly switched back to Schneider’s pitching. In the first round, he will face Christian Yelich, an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, in a competition that now offers a substantial $1 million U.S. prize to the winner.
The pressure is undoubtedly on.
Schneider acknowledges this: “It’s definitely a little bit nerve-racking. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? I’ve been involved in home run derbies before, but never on such a grand stage. I’ll try to remind myself that it’s like being in A-ball, where only a couple of thousand people are watching instead of hundreds of thousands.”
Despite the nerves, Schneider never considered declining the opportunity. It’s common for major league players to rely on those closest to them to pitch in the derby. Last year’s winner, Bryce Harper, had his dad Ron pitch to him, the same person who had thrown to him in the 2013 edition.
Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs asked his older brother Gadiel, while his teammate Kyle Schwarber employed the services of Mike Sinicola, a real estate agent who played baseball at the University of Miami and has been Schwarber’s batting practice pitcher in Tampa.
In a way, Schneider had always been prepared for this moment.
Schneider isn’t just any ordinary pitcher. He arrives in Cleveland with a championship pedigree, having won two out of three derbies he pitched in the minor leagues. One of those victories was with Avisail Garcia, now a right fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, in the Florida State League. The other was with former Jays prospect Connor Panas in the Midwest League.
Before Friday, Schneider and Guerrero practiced twice within the four-minute derby time frame. The seedings for Monday’s eight-player, single-elimination event were determined based on home run totals as of Wednesday. Guerrero had the fewest home runs among the participants, setting him up against Yelich, who had hit 31 by Wednesday.
Schneider and Guerrero have worked meticulously on their strategy, including simulating the timeouts and potential bonus time in each round. Bonus time of 30 seconds is added for hitting at least two runs that travel a minimum of 440 feet.
While Schneider typically throws at around “50-something” miles per hour during batting practice, he can adjust his speed to match Guerrero’s requirements. On an average day at the ballpark, he throws between 120 and 150 pitches. He expects to be fueled by adrenaline during the derby but intends to be cautious not to exhaust himself. He knows he can’t make excuses in Cleveland.
“Sorry, Vlad, I just made you lose a million bucks because I got tired,” he joked.
Regarding whether the coach will receive a portion of the winnings if Guerrero emerges victorious, Schneider leaves the decision to him. “It’s entirely up to him. Vladdy has always been the kind of person who takes care of those around him. But whatever he wants. This is all about him.”
Schneider is counting on that: “People won’t be watching a batting practice pitcher. They’ll be watching an incredibly talented young hitter. Hopefully, he puts on a great show.”
Guerrero’s power has been somewhat lacking recently, with his eighth home run of the season on June 29 coming 19 games after his seventh. Schneider believes that participating in the derby could help him regain his form.
“In the past, some people have expressed concerns about not wanting to participate because it affects their swing or makes them tired. But I think Guerrero is the kind of guy who thrives on it. I believe it could really ignite something within him, and he can carry that momentum into the second half of the season. He usually performs better in bigger moments, so it’ll be exciting for him.”
As for the cleats Schneider will have to break in, being an avid shoe enthusiast, he knows that the preparation will be worth it. These will be shoes that he won’t be giving away easily.
