The crazy story behind Blue Jays rookie Davis Schneider's glove

The story behind Toronto Blue Jays rookie sensation Davis Schneider has played out like a script from a Hollywood movie. But as it turns out, his glove is pretty special, too.

Schneider, a 28th-round selection from 2017, has exploded onto the scene since making his MLB debut last Friday at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, where he homered in his first major-league at-bat.

The 24-year-old hasn’t slowed since, going 9-for-13 with two home runs across his first three career games, becoming the first rookie in MLB history to accomplish that feat. Given his remarkable output, the right-handed slugger batted leadoff during Monday’s opener versus the Cleveland Guardians.

But you’ll never guess what glove he has used throughout his breakout campaign.

While most professionals feature top-of-the-line models, Schneider found his in the lost-and-found bin last offseason, according to Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae.

Schneider discovered nobody had claimed the old-school mitt, despite it remaining in the container for close to two years. So he picked it up essentially off the scrap heap and has since put it to good use.

“The place where I gave lessons at and train at in the offseason, it was in the lost-and-found for about a year-and-a-half,” Schneider told Mae. ”No one got it, and it looked cool, and it looked old, and I was like, ’All right, I’m just gonna use it for now.’”

One aspect that remained a mystery, however, was the “VUK” inscription written beside the Mizuno logo. Its origin was unknown to Schneider, or at least, it was until he learned about the connection to his skipper.

After news about Schneider’s glove spread, Vince Vukovich — Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s old college roommate and former teammate at Delaware — reached out to the team to explain its origin, revealing it originally belonged to his father, John.

The former Philadelphia Phillies third-base coach played 10 MLB seasons from 1970-81, with many of his teammates and coaches referring to him as “Vuk.” He passed away at the age of 59 in 2007.

Vukovich’s son also jokingly demanded that Schneider return his late father’s glove.

How Vukovich’s vintage glove found its way into a lost-and-found bin remains unknown. But considering its current owner has recently captivated the baseball world, it appears to be in fairly safe hands at the moment.

Schneider grinded through seven minor-league seasons, including a year away from the game in 2020, but struggled to stay relevant as a late-round draftee. Except for this season, as he crushed a team-leading 21 home runs in 87 games with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

With Toronto unable to acquire a right-handed slugger at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the franchise turned to Schneider in an attempt to spark the offence, and the youngster certainly hasn’t disappointed thus far.