Chris Snyder
Encyclopedia
Christopher Cornelius Snyder (born February 12, 1981) is a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 who is a Free Agent. He has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 and the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

. He bats and throws right-handed.

High school and college

Snyder attended Spring Woods High School
Spring Woods High School
Spring Woods High SchoolPrincipalLance StallworthSchool typePublic school LocationHouston, Texas, United StatesEnrollment2,200 studentsCampus surroundingsUrbanMascotTigersSchool colorsBlack, Gold...

 and the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

. In , Snyder started every game and hit .316; he also led the team in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s, hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

, doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

, total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and hit by pitch
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...

es. He was named All-Conference USA second team and also played for Team USA
USA Baseball
USA Baseball was founded in , and is the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States of America. It is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and organizes the United States national baseball team...

 hitting 1 home run and having 9 RBIs. In , he hit .348 with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs.

Snyder had been drafted by the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

 in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft
1999 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...

, but chose to attend college. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2nd round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
2002 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...

.

Minor league career

Snyder began his professional career with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks
Lancaster JetHawks
The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team is named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and plays its home games at Clear Channel Stadium...

 and hit .258 with 9 home runs and 44 RBIs. He began with Lancaster again and was promoted to Double-A El Paso
El Paso Diablos
The El Paso Diablos are a professional baseball team based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The Diablos are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2005 season to the...

 after hitting .314 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. He began with El Paso and hit .301 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs and was promoted to the major league team.

Major league career

Snyder was called up to the majors and made his debut on August 21, . In his first game, he went 2–3 with a double. In only 96 at-bats in the majors in 2004, he hit 5 home runs. In , he was the starting catcher, but struggled offensively as he hit only .202. He was strong defensively though, with a fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...

 of .997. Before the season, the D-Backs traded for All-Star catcher Johnny Estrada
Johnny Estrada
Johnny Pulado Estrada III is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals.Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major...

 from the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

, making Snyder the backup. In 61 games, Snyder hit .277 with a .995 fielding percentage and threw out 45% of would-be base stealers.

After the 2006 season, Estrada was traded to Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 and Snyder shared time behind the plate with rookie Miguel Montero
Miguel Montero
Miguel Angel Montero is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.-Arizona Diamondbacks:...

. In , he hit .252 with a .999 fielding percentage and threw out 36% of would-be base stealers. In , he set career highs in home runs (16) and RBIs (64) and also had a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000.

On December 30, 2008, Snyder and the D-Backs agreed on a three-year contract extension with an option for a fourth year.

Before the 2010 season Snyder was almost traded to the Blue Jays for former Diamondback Lyle Overbay
Lyle Overbay
Lyle Stefan Overbay is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent.-Amateur career:...

 but the Jays questioned Snyder's back problems and nixed the trade.

On July 31, it was announced that Snyder and minor leaguer Pedro Ciriaco
Pedro Ciriaco
Pedro Ciriaco is a right-handed baseball shortstop. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates...

 were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for D.J. Carrasco, Ryan Church, and Bobby Crosby
Bobby Crosby
Robert Edward Crosby is an infielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. The son of former major league infielder Ed Crosby, he bats and throws right-handed...

. He began the 2011 season
2011 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the Pirates' 125th season as a member of Major League Baseball and 130th season overall. The season was the first with manager Clint Hurdle, who was hired to replace the fired John Russell...

 with the Pirates' Single A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders
Bradenton Marauders
The Bradenton Marauders are a minor league baseball team based in Bradenton, Florida that plays in the Florida State League. The Marauders are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Their home games are played at McKechnie Field, which also serves as the Pirates' spring training...

, on a rehab assignment for back pains he experienced during spring training. In two games with Bradenton, Snyder had gone 5-for-6 with seven RBI, two doubles and a homerun.

External links

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