James Cory Snyder (born November 11, 1962) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
and the manager of the
Northern Colorado Owlz
The Northern Colorado Owlz are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are based in Windsor, Colorado and will play their home games at the u ...
. He played nine seasons in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) from 1986 to 1994 for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
,
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
,
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 ...
,
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
, and
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
, earning a total of $5.7 million.
He was known for his powerful throwing arm. He is on the
list of Major League Baseball career assists as a right fielder leaders and the
list of college baseball career home run leaders
The following is a list of NCAA Division I baseball career and single-season home run leaders.
Career home run leaders
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2017/D1.pdf
Single-season home run leaders
See also
*List of college baseball a ...
. He is currently an
automobile salesperson
The automobile salesperson is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car de ...
in
Lindon, Utah
Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo– Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census. In July 2019 it was estimated to be to 11,100 by the US Census Bureau. ...
.
Early life
Snyder grew up in
Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California
Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountain ...
,
and started playing baseball when he was 6 or 7 years old. When he was 8 years old, he joined
Little League Baseball
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[Milwaukee Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...]
organization for three years until he hurt his arm.
Snyder attended
Canyon High School.
[
]
Career
Playing career
Snyder received a full baseball scholarship to Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
, where he played for the BYU Cougars baseball
The BYU Cougars baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, United States. The team is a member of the West Coast Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's ...
team. In his first game with BYU, during his first three at-bats, he hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches. He was named 1982 Freshman of the Year.[
In 1983, Snyder played ]collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
for the Harwich Mariners
The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...
of the Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
(CCBL). He batted .321 for the season, belting a league-record 22 home runs, including homers in four consecutive at-bats on July 7–8. Snyder led the Mariners to the league title, and was named the league's outstanding pro prospect. He was inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2003. Snyder played for the USA team in the 1983 Pan American Games
The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...
in Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and is on the list of Pan American Games medalists in baseball.[
In early 1984, he moved to ]Camarillo, California
Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...
. In June 1984, Snyder was drafted by the Cleveland Indians as the 4th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1984 Major League Baseball draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.
Other notable players
*Jeff Blauser†, 1st round (secondary phase), 4th overall by the Atlanta Braves
* Greg Maddux‡, 2nd round, 31st ...
.[ He was on the 1984 College Baseball All-America Team.
In August 1984, in the ]1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
, Snyder was on the first United States national baseball team
The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...
, which earned a silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
in baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport. Although single exhibition games had been played in conjunction with five previous Olympics, it was the first time that the sport was officially included in the program, and also th ...
.
In 1985, Snyder received the Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award
The Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Eastern League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor League ...
.
In May 1986, while playing for the Maine Guides
The Maine Guides were an American minor league baseball franchise that played in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, between 1984 and 1988. The Triple-A International League (IL) club was named for a classification of registered hunting and wilderness gu ...
, Snyder was sued after an incident where he threw his bat towards the backstop, but due to pine tar
Pine tar is a form of wood tar produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions (dry distillation or destructive distillation). The wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed container; th ...
in his hands, it flew into the stands and hit two women sitting in the front row, breaking one of their noses and cracking the dental plate
Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable (removable partial denture or ...
and bloodying the lip of the other. A judge dismissed the charges in the criminal case. In March 1988, Snyder settled the civil charges out of court.
In June 1986, Snyder was called up to the major leagues.[
In 1986, he finished 4th in ]AL Rookie of the Year
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
voting.
In 1987, along with teammate Joe Carter
Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, ...
, Snyder appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''.
In 1989, he suffered a back injury
Back injuries result from damage, wear, or trauma to the bones, muscles, or other tissues of the back. Common back injuries include sprains and strains, herniated discs, and fractured vertebrae. The lumbar spine is often the site of back pain ...
after diving for a ball. A slump in performance followed, leading to an adverse relationship between Snyder and team officials.
On December 4, 1990, the Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
traded Snyder to the Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
for pitchers Eric King and Shawn Hillegas
Shawn Patrick Hillegas (born August 21, 1964) is a former professional right-handed pitcher. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Biog ...
. His salary was set by an arbitrator at $800,000, a $100,000 raise. There, coach Walt Hriniak forced him to change his hitting style, which Snyder believes was for the worse.[ He also had a strained relationship with manager ]Jeff Torborg
Jeffrey Allen Torborg (born November 26, 1941) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Torborg was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1963. On September 9, 1965, Torborg caught Sandy Koufax' ...
after being told he would only play part-time.[ In July 1991, the White Sox traded Snyder to 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 ...
for Shawn Jeter
Shawn Darrell Jeter (born June 28, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is the son of former Major League Baseball outfielder Johnny Jeter.
Career
Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 7th round of the 1985 MLB amate ...
and a player to be named later.
In March 1992, after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays, Snyder was signed by the San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
. In June 1992, he received the NL Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the Player of the Month Award is given monthly during the regular season to two outstanding players, one each in the National League (NL) and American League (AL). The NL first awarded the honor during the season, ...
.[ In December 1992, he was signed by the ]Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
to a two-year contract at $1.5 million per year.[ He retired from the major leagues after the ]1994–95 Major League Baseball strike
The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike was the eighth and longest work stoppage in baseball history, as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12, 1994, and resulted in the remainder of that season ...
.[ Snyder's total earnings from major league baseball teams was $5,740,000.][
In March 1995, he was signed by the ]San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
to a contract with Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
.
In February 1997, Snyder unsuccessfully tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
.
Coaching career
In 1998, at age 37, Snyder began to think about a career in coaching. At that time, he lived in Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Lagun ...
, where he taught kids baseball in his backyard. He also owned a sporting goods store.
In December 2001, he opened a baseball facility in Lindon, Utah
Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo– Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census. In July 2019 it was estimated to be to 11,100 by the US Census Bureau. ...
.
In March 2006, Snyder received a 10-day assignment to assist in coaching the minor league players of the Cleveland Indians.
From 2007 to 2009, Snyder managed the St. George Roadrunners
The Henderson RoadRunners were an independent professional baseball team based out of Henderson, Nevada. They were members of the Western Division in the North American League and were scheduled to begin play in 2011 at Lied Field at Morse Stadi ...
of the Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...
. In 2008, he also managed the San Diego Surf Dawgs
The San Diego Surf Dawgs are an independent professional baseball team representing San Diego, California, that played for two seasons in the Golden Baseball League, based out of San Ramon, California, and then later in the short-season instructi ...
. In 2010, he managed the Na Koa Ikaika Maui
( Hawaiian for ''The Maui Strong Warriors'') were an independent professional baseball team based out of Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii and champions of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. They made their debut in the 2010 season with ...
, of the North American League.
Snyder joined 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
organization as a coach for the Jackson Generals
The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League (SL) as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliat ...
in 2011-2013 and Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...
in 2014-2015.
He managed Pericos de Puebla
The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico.
History
The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...
in the Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
, leading the team to their first championship in 30 years by defeating the Tijuana Toros
The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Minor League Baseball, Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron.
Team history
Ori ...
. He is only the fourth American manager to win Mexico's highest professional level baseball championship.
In 2017-2018, Snyder managed the CTBC Brothers
The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Leagu ...
baseball team of the Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
(CPBL).
In February 2019, Snyder became Director of Public Relations for the Orem Owlz
The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home o ...
, a Minor League Baseball team.[
In February 2022, Snyder was named manager of the ]Northern Colorado Owlz
The Northern Colorado Owlz are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are based in Windsor, Colorado and will play their home games at the u ...
.
Post-sports career
In 2020, Snyder became an automobile salesperson
The automobile salesperson is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car de ...
for Murdock Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai ...
in Lindon, Utah
Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo– Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census. In July 2019 it was estimated to be to 11,100 by the US Census Bureau. ...
.
Personal life
Snyder and his wife Tina have been married since 1985 and have six children, Ashley, Amberley Amberley may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Amberley, Queensland, near Ipswich, Australia
*RAAF Base Amberley, a Royal Australian Air Force military airbase
United Kingdom
* Amberley, Gloucestershire, England
* Amberley, Herefordshire, England
...
, JC, Taylor, Aubrey, and Autumn. They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
and Snyder does not drink alcohol due to his religion.[ In 1991, Snyder was featured in a public relations campaign by the church to improve the reputation of Mormonism.
In 1998, he moved to ]Mapleton, Utah
Mapleton is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,365 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled in 1850, and for a time was known as Un ...
.
Amberley Snyder
Amberley Snyder (born January 29, 1991) is a championship barrel racer. She also competed in pole bending and breakaway roping. In 2010, Snyder suffered a car crash that paralyzed her from the waist down. She adapted to the injury and kept competin ...
, involved in professional barrel racing
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur a ...
, was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident in January 2010 when she was 19 years old. She is the subject of the biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
''Walk. Ride. Rodeo.
''Walk. Ride. Rodeo.'' is a 2019 American biopic directed by Conor Allyn from a screenplay by Sean Dwyer and Greg Cope White about the life of Amberley Snyder, a nationally ranked rodeo barrel racer who defies the odds to return to the sport aft ...
'', produced and distributed by Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
. Cory was portrayed in the film by Bailey Chase
Bailey Chase Luetgert (born May 1, 1972) is an American stage and television actor.
Chase is known for his role as Cory Snyder in ''Walk. Ride. Rodeo.'', as Butch Ada in the television series '' Saving Grace'', as Graham Miller in '' Buffy the V ...
.
Snyder enjoys playing golf and had a 2 handicap.[
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Cory
1962 births
Living people
All-American college baseball players
American expatriate baseball people in Mexico
American expatriate baseball people in Taiwan
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American Latter Day Saints
Baseball players at the 1983 Pan American Games
Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Baseball players from Inglewood, California
BYU Cougars baseball players
Canton-Akron Indians players
Chicago White Sox players
Cleveland Indians players
CTBC Brothers managers
Harwich Mariners players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Maine Guides players
Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Mexican League baseball managers
Minor league baseball managers
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in baseball
Pawtucket Red Sox players
San Francisco Giants players
Syracuse Chiefs players
Toronto Blue Jays players
Waterbury Indians players
Anchorage Glacier Pilots players