Travis James Snider (born February 2, 1988) 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 ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. Nicknamed Lunchbox, he played 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) for 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 ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
, and
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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
.
Amateur career
Snider played for the
Mill Creek Little League team at 1999 Little League Western Regional Tournament in
San Bernardino, California. He attended
Henry M. Jackson High School
Henry M. Jackson High School is a public high school in Mill Creek, Washington, United States. Named after the late Henry M. Jackson, an Everett native and former U.S. Senator, the school opened on September 7, 1994, as the third high school in ...
, where he played as an
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
for the baseball team and as a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
.
Professional career
Toronto Blue Jays
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 ...
selected Snider in the first round, with the 14th overall selection, of the
2006 MLB Draft. Snider began his professional career in 2006 with the
Pulaski Blue Jays
Pulaski may refer to:
Places
* Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas
* Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys
* Pulaski, Georgia, a town
* Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...
in the
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
. He excelled in his debut and ended up winning the Short Season Player of The Year honors for Appalachian League.
![Travissnidernhfishercat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Travissnidernhfishercat.jpg)
In 2007, he was promoted to the Class A
Lansing Lugnuts, he spent the whole season in Lansing and ranked among the league leaders in many hitting categories, including RBI (93, first), doubles (35, first), hits (143, T-third), home runs (16, T-fifth) and batting average (.313, fifth).
He represented Lansing in the 2007
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
All-Star Game.
Snider began the 2008 season with the
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...
of the
Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
. Coming out of spring training he had suffered an injury to his throwing elbow so for the first portion of the season he was the team's designated hitter exclusively. Snider performed well in High-A and he was promoted to the Double-A
New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the
Eastern League on May 21, 2008. Initially at Double-A, Snider struggled but as he regained his health and started to play in the outfield again he began hitting well. Snider won the Eastern League Home Run Derby with an impressive performance, hitting 10 home runs in the semifinals in front of a record crowd at the Fisher Cats stadium. Snider was nicknamed "the Franchise" by New Hampshire Union Leader reporter Kevin Gray. On August 6, 2008, the Blue Jays promoted Snider to Triple-A
Syracuse Chiefs of the
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
. Snider continued to play well at Triple-A and would only play 18 games at that level before being promoted. Overall, in 133 combined minor league games, he batted .275 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI.
2008–2010
Snider was promoted 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 ...
on August 29, 2008, and became the youngest position player in the majors. He made his debut later that day, playing left field and batting ninth at
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...
. Facing
Carl Pavano, Snider lined out to shortstop in his first at-bat. He later doubled off Pavano for his first big-league hit. On September 4, 2008, Snider launched his first career home run at
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...
off
Kevin Slowey
Kevin Michael Slowey (born May 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Slowey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (73rd overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. He also played for the Miami Marli ...
of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
, becoming the fourth-youngest Blue Jay to hit a home run. After his first season with Toronto, he finished hitting .301 with two
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 13
RBI in 24 games.
''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' ranked Snider sixth on their annual ranking of the best baseball prospects, moving him up five spots from the previous year's rankings.
On April 6, 2009, Snider recorded a home run and double on
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
against the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. He had his first career two home run game on April 13, 2009, against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
and became the youngest player in Blue Jays history to hit two home runs in a game. He was sent back to Triple-A
Las Vegas 51s in May, after a prolonged hitting slump, but was recalled by the Blue Jays in August, going on to hit a home run in his first game back.
On August 2, 2010, Snider became the first Blue Jays player since 1978 to hit two doubles in one inning against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
(pitchers
A. J. Burnett
Allan James Burnett (born January 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia ...
and
Boone Logan
Boone Logan (born August 13, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and Milwauke ...
). This was part of an
AL record tying six doubles in an inning by the Blue Jays.
2011
After opening the season with just a .184 batting average with a home run and 12 RBI through 25 games, Snider was optioned to Triple-A
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
on April 28. On July 3, he was recalled by the Blue Jays. On the nights of July 8 and July 20, Snider had 5 RBI – a career best.
![Travis Snider (7953398976)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Travis_Snider_%287953398976%29.jpg)
On August 4, Snider was optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for
Brett Lawrie
Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.
Amateur career
While playing hi ...
. He was diagnosed with tendinitis in his right wrist on August 25, ending his 2011 season.
2012
Snider was a spring training invitee, but was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas before the end of spring. He was in competition with
Eric Thames for the starting left field position. He was recalled to the Blue Jays on July 20. Mid-game 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
on July 30, Snider was traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
in exchange for pitcher
Brad Lincoln.
Pittsburgh Pirates
In 50 games with the Pirates to finish 2012, Snider hit .250 with a home run and 9 RBI.
2013
Snider began 2013 in a platoon in right field with
José Tábata, with
Garrett Jones also getting occasional starts when he wasn't at first base. The platoon dissolved when Tábata went on the disabled list with a strained oblique, and Snider got most of the starts during Tábata's stint on the DL. To that point, Snider was hitting .252 with two home runs, 14 RBI and 31 strikeouts. After hitting .171 in June, Snider was relegated to a pinch-hitting role upon Tábata's return on July 3. On July 28, Snider was placed on the disabled list with discomfort in his left big toe, which had been bothering him for over a month. Snider was activated from the disabled list when the rosters expanded on September 1, and was used in a pinch-hitting role to finish the season. In 111 games (53 starts) in 2013, Snider hit .215/.281/.333 with five home runs and 25 RBI.
2014
On June 18, 2014, Snider pitched the top of ninth inning against the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. He allowed two runs, one hit, and two walks in that inning but managed to strike out
Joey Votto. Snider finished the 2014 season with a .264 average with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 140 games.
Baltimore Orioles
On January 27, 2015, Snider was traded to 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
in exchange for minor league pitcher
Stephen Tarpley
Stephen Nicholas Tarpley (born February 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2018 for the New York Yankees and has also played ...
and a player to be named later, eventually revealed as minor league pitcher
Steven Brault
Steven Joseph Brault (born April 29, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder and former pitcher for the Spire City Ghost Hounds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pi ...
. He was designated for assignment on August 7, and released on August 15.
Second stint with the Pirates
On August 19, 2015, Snider signed a minor league deal to return to the Pirates. He elected free agency on October 22.
Kansas City Royals
On January 30, 2016, Snider signed a minor league contract with the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, with an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 30, and re-signed to a minor league contract on April 1. He was released on July 30, 2016.
Texas Rangers
On January 6, 2017, Snider signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers.
New York Mets
On August 15, 2017, the Rangers traded Snider to the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
for cash. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.
Long Island Ducks
On April 5, 2018, Snider signed with the
Long Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...
of the independent
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On January 9, 2019, Snider signed a minor league contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks. He elected free agency on November 7, 2019. On January 15, 2020, Snider re-signed with the Diamondbacks organization, and was released in late May.
Miami Marlins
On July 24, 2020, Snider signed a minor league contract with the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
. On August 27, 2020, Snider was released by the Marlins organization.
Atlanta Braves
On February 23, 2021, Snider signed a minor league contract with the
Atlanta 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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
organization. Snider played in 63 games for the Triple-A
Gwinnett Braves
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...
, hitting .174 with four home runs and 15 RBI.
On September 12, 2021, Snider was released by the Braves.
Snider announced his retirement from professional baseball on January 13, 2022.
Personal life
From
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the fou ...
, Snider faced many challenges in his teen years. In a two-year span he had lost two grandparents, a coach, and a close friend. He then later lost his mother in an accident. Snider says this made his teen years tough but also helped him work hard to get to the major leagues.
Awards
* 2008 – Eastern League All-Star Team
* 2008 – Eastern League Home Run Derby Champion
* 2007 –
Arizona Fall League All-Prospect Team
* 2007 – AFL Rising Stars
* 2007 –
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
Low Class A All-Star
* 2007 – Baseball America Minor League All-Star
* 2007 –
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
Post-Season All-Star
* 2007 – MID Mid-Season All-Star
* 2007 – MID Player of the Week
* 2007 – MID Player of the Week
* 2006 –
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 Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
Short-Season/Rookie All-Star
* 2006 – Topps APP Player of the Year
* 2006 – Baseball America Rookie All-Star
* 2006 – Topps APP Player of the Month
* 2006 –
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
Player of the Year
* 2006 – APP Post-Season All-Star
* 2006 – APP Player of the Week
* 2006 – APP Player of the Week
See also
*
USA Today All-USA high school baseball team
References
External links
*
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snider, Travis
1988 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Major League Baseball outfielders
Baseball players from Washington (state)
Sportspeople from Everett, Washington
Toronto Blue Jays players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Baltimore Orioles players
Pulaski Blue Jays players
Lansing Lugnuts players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Syracuse Chiefs players
New Hampshire Fisher Cats players
Dunedin Blue Jays players
Las Vegas 51s players
Gulf Coast Blue Jays players
Altoona Curve players
Indianapolis Indians players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Round Rock Express players
Long Island Ducks players
People from Kirkland, Washington
People from Lynnwood, Washington