Jeffrey Theodore Schneider (born December 6, 1952) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

. He appeared in 11 Major League games as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in . A switch hitter who threw left-handed, Schneider stood tall and weighed . He is perhaps best remembered for appearing on

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

's 1982

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, a ...

rookie card A rookie card is a trading card that is the first to feature an athlete after that athlete has participated in the highest level of competition within their sport. Collectors may value these first appearances more than subsequent card issues. Ath ...

. Born in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Schneider attended high school in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

before attending

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

. Drafted twice, he signed with neither team, opting to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 1974. He played five years in their organization, leading the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

in wins and saves in 1977 without making a single start. After the 1978 season, he was selected by the

in the Rule 5 draft; he reached the major leagues in 1981 when the Orioles sought to reinforce their roster for the second half of the season. Used exclusively in relief, Schneider appeared in 11 games, recording a save. After the season, he was a minor part of a trade to the California Angels. He split 1982 between their system and the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

' organization and finished his career in 1983 in the minors for the Blue Jays.

Early life

Schneider was born in

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

but attended Alleman Catholic High School in Rock Island, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 18th round of the 1970 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft upon his graduation, but he chose to attend

in order to get "an education and... play basketball." He was again drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1973, this time in the second round, but he chose not to sign and eventually signed as an amateur

in 1974 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia Phillies (minors)

Schneider began his minor league career with four appearances (one start) for the

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Auburn Phillies of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

in 1974. He remained at Auburn in 1975 where, used exclusively in relief, he had a 3–2 record, a 2.82

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), and 37 strikeouts in 21 games, along with 24 walks in 51 innings pitched. He moved up to the

Peninsula Pilots The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The Pilots first started participating in the Co ...

of the Class A

in 1976, where he was used as a starter for his only significant amount of time professionally. In 29 games (13 starts), he had a 4–7 record, a 3.93 ERA, and 77 strikeouts in 103 innings. Despite moving into the bullpen full-time in 1977, he led the Carolina League with 15 wins and 22 saves for Pensacola while recording 102 strikeouts in 119 innings of work. Promoted to the Double-A

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

of the Eastern League in 1978, he went 4–4 with a 2.83 ERA and two saves in 42 games (one start) to go along with 56 strikeouts and 47 walks in 86 innings. After the season, he was drafted into the

' organization in the Rule 5 draft.

Baltimore Orioles

1979-81 (minors)

Schneider pitched for the

Charlotte O's The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the Double-A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

in 1979, where he again made 42 appearances (one start). He had a 3–7 record, a 3.43 ERA, 67 strikeouts, and four saves in 105 innings of work. He was promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in 1980, where he had a 2–4 record, a 4.86 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 25 walks, and eight saves in 45 games over 50 innings of work. In 1981, with Rochester, he had a 5–1 record, a 2.35 ERA, and 61 strikeouts in 69 innings while collecting 12 saves. He participated in the

longest professional baseball game The Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, two teams from the Triple-A International League, played the longest game in professional baseball history. It lasted 33 innings, with 8 hours and 25 minutes of playing time. 32 innings were pla ...

, pitching scoreless innings of relief with eight strikeouts for Rochester as they lost 3–2 to the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

in 33 innings.

1981; lone major league season

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

split the 1981 major league season, and the Orioles, in an attempt to strengthen their roster, called up Schneider and

, on August 7. Schneider replaced Steve Luebber. In his debut game, at Memorial Stadium on August 12, he gave up a grand slam home run to Frank White of the Kansas City Royals, But in his final 10 games, he compiled an

of 3.74. On August 19, he logged a career-high innings in relief of Mike Flanagan during a 6–3 loss to the California Angels. He earned his only MLB save on August 25, recording the final out of a 6–5 win against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. Schneider made what would be the final appearance of his brief major league career October 2, allowing two runs over three innings of relief in a 9–0 loss to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. In his career, all of which came during the 1981 season, he allowed 27 hits and 12 walks, with 17 strikeouts, in 24 innings pitched. His ERA was 4.88. The Orioles finished fourth during the second-half of the season (two games out of first) and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays (minors)

A trade sending Schneider and

Doug DeCinces Douglas Vernon DeCinces ( ; born August 29, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1973 to 1987 for the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and St. Louis Cardin ...

from the Orioles to the Angels for

Dan Ford Darnell Glenn Ford (born May 19, 1952) is a former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Disco Dan", he played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1975 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, and Baltimore Orioles. ...

was announced on January 28, 1982. It was delayed when Ford requested additional compensation because the Orioles were not one of six teams listed in his contract to which he could be traded without approval. The transaction became official upon his approval two days later on January 30."Ford Approves Trade From Angels to Orioles," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Sunday, January 31, 1982.
Retrieved October 31, 2020 Schneider made 18 appearances in 1982 for the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

, their Pacific Coast League affiliate, before getting sent to the

during the season. He pitched 34 games (two starts) for the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

of the International League, where he spent the rest of the season. His combined Triple-A totals for that year were a 3–5 record, a 4.04 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 50 walks, and eight saves in 78 innings of work in 52 games. He pitched one final season, for Syracuse in 1983. In 37 games, he had a 4–4 record, a 5.13 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and 60 walks in innings while recording three saves. He said that after retiring, life took him "to school, family, job, friends. Back to being a normal person." Schneider is perhaps best remembered for appearing on the 1982

"Baltimore Orioles Future Stars", a

that also featured

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Jeff 1952 births Living people Auburn Phillies players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Illinois Baseball players from Washington (state) Charlotte O's players Iowa State Cyclones baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Peninsula Pilots players People from Bremerton, Washington Reading Phillies players Rochester Red Wings players Spokane Indians players Syracuse Chiefs players