James Robert Snyder (August 15, 1932 – March 9, 2021) was an American

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 professiona ...

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 is ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

, best known for his 105-game stint as pilot of the 1988 Seattle Mariners, from June 6 through the end of the season. The former second baseman, born in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States per ...

, threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed during his 12-year playing career, which included 41

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

at the Major League level over three terms with 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 ...

(1961–62; 1964). Snyder attended

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

, earning

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s. His

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

career as a second baseman began in 1953, and after lengthy service with the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opened ...

, he was acquired by the Twins in September 1961. As a 29-year-old

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, Snyder went hitless in five

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

that month, then notched only one safety in ten at bats during an early-season 1962 trial with Minnesota. He did not return to the Majors until June 1964, when the Twins gave him a 26-game audition. Altogether, he batted only .140 in 86 MLB at bats, with 12 hits and one

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 ...

, hit July 15, 1964, off

Don Rudolph Frederick Donald Rudolph (August 16, 1931 – September 12, 1968) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) left-handed pitcher. He appeared in 124 games pitched over all or parts of six major league seasons for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati ...

of the Washington Senators. In 1966, he began his managerial career in the

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of 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 ...

, where over 11 years he rose from Short Season–Class A to the Triple-A level as skipper of the 1976 Indianapolis Indians. Snyder then spent five seasons as a manager in the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

' organization, including two years at Triple-A with the

Oklahoma City 89ers Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. In 1982, he was among several Phillies' instructors and scouts who accompanied Dallas Green to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

' system, where Snyder was field coordinator of instruction from 1982 to 1986 and a Major League coach in 1987. During that offseason, Snyder joined the Mariners' 1988 staff as first-base coach for veteran manager

Dick Williams Richard Hirschfeld Williams (May 7, 1929 – July 7, 2011) was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front-office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967 to 1 ...

. With the Mariners at 23–33 on June 6, and Williams under fire for lack of communication with his players, Snyder was promoted to acting manager. Weathering a 1–12 patch from June 8–21, Seattle played marginally better ( .429 vs. .411) in its four months under Snyder, but the Mariners finished last in the

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...

and at the end of the season, he was replaced by

Jim Lefebvre James Kenneth Lefebvre ( ; born January 7, 1942) is a former major league baseball player, coach, and manager. An infielder, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. Baseball career Playing career Lefebvre was th ...

. Snyder then spent his first term as coordinator of instruction for 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 ...

in 1989–90, returning to the big leagues as a coach for

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 penn ...

' manager

Greg Riddoch Gregory Lee Riddoch (born July 17, 1945 in Greeley, Colorado) is a retired American professional baseball player, manager and coach who served as manager of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball from July 12, 1990 through September 22, ...

in 1991–92. After working as a minor-league coach in 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) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

' system in 1993, Snyder rejoined the White Sox as director of instruction in 1994, serving for a dozen years in that role. Snyder died on March 9, 2021, in

Lutz, Florida Lutz is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, north of Tampa. The northern part of Lutz also makes up a portion of south Pasco County. The population was 23,707 according to the 2020 Cen ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Jim 1932 births 2021 deaths Albany Senators players Asheville Tourists managers Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Michigan Chicago Cubs coaches Columbus Foxes players Dallas Rangers players Des Moines Bruins players Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball players Eastern Michigan University alumni Fordson High School alumni Indianapolis Indians managers Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball second basemen Memphis Chickasaws players Minnesota Twins players Pine Bluff Judges players Reading Phillies managers San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres coaches San Diego Padres (minor league) players Seattle Mariners coaches Seattle Mariners managers Sportspeople from Dearborn, Michigan Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Vancouver Mounties players Wichita Indians players York White Roses players