Esix Snead
Encyclopedia
Esix Snead is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
for the New York Mets
. Snead was known for his speed, with 507 stolen base
s in only 9 minor league seasons, but only four in two brief appearances with the New York Mets
.
, playing both baseball
and football
, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 18th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft
. Throughout his entire career, Snead hit for a low batting average
, but still stole high numbers of bases. In with the Low-A New Jersey Cardinals
, he hit .233 and stole 42 bases in 58 games. With the Single-A Peoria Chiefs
and High-A Potomac Cannons
in , he hit under the Mendoza Line
, but stole 64 bases in 126 games. was Snead's career year. Playing for the Cannons again, he led all minor leaguers http://minors.baseball-reference.com/bat_leaders.cgi?yid=2000&lvl=&lid=&sort=SB and stole a Carolina League
record 109 bases, breaking Lenny Dykstra
's record, and made the All-Star game. In , his final season in the Cardinals' organization, he played for Double-A New Haven. On November 20, 2001, he was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets.
in and hit .252 with 64 stolen bases. He was called up to the majors and made his major league debut on September 3. On September 21, against the Montreal Expos
, he got his first major league hit
, a single
, and also ended the game with a three-run walk-off home run
. He spent all of with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides
and produced more of the same, a .220 batting average and 61 stolen bases. His batting average improved in to .264 and he played 1 game in the majors for the Mets.
at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves
on November 10, 2004. He stole 46 bases for Triple-A Richmond
, but his season was marred by a suspension. In a game against the Syracuse SkyChiefs
, pitcher
Dave Bush threw a ball between Snead's legs causing Snead to have to be held back by the catcher
. After drawing a walk
, he charged Bush while walking to first base and threw his batting helmet at him, causing both benches to clear. 20 members of the Braves were fined including Snead who also drew a 10-game suspension.
signed him on January 24, , and he played for Triple-A Ottawa
. In 41 games, he batted .220 with 15 steals. The Orioles released Snead on May 21.
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...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Snead was known for his speed, with 507 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s in only 9 minor league seasons, but only four in two brief appearances with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
College and St. Louis Cardinals
Snead attended the University of Central FloridaUniversity of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
, playing both baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 18th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1998 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, 1998...
. Throughout his entire career, Snead hit for a low batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, but still stole high numbers of bases. In with the Low-A New Jersey Cardinals
New Jersey Cardinals
The New Jersey Cardinals were a Short-Season A minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. They were a member of the New York - Penn League and played at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey from 1994-2005.-History:...
, he hit .233 and stole 42 bases in 58 games. With the Single-A Peoria Chiefs
Peoria Chiefs
The Peoria Chiefs are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, from Peoria, Illinois. They play in the Midwest League....
and High-A Potomac Cannons
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.-History:...
in , he hit under the Mendoza Line
Mendoza Line
The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting...
, but stole 64 bases in 126 games. was Snead's career year. Playing for the Cannons again, he led all minor leaguers http://minors.baseball-reference.com/bat_leaders.cgi?yid=2000&lvl=&lid=&sort=SB and stole a Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
record 109 bases, breaking Lenny Dykstra
Lenny Dykstra
Leonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra , nicknamed "Nails" and "Dude", is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s....
's record, and made the All-Star game. In , his final season in the Cardinals' organization, he played for Double-A New Haven. On November 20, 2001, he was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets.
New York Mets
Snead played for Double-A BinghamtonBinghamton Mets
The Binghamton Mets are a U.S. minor league baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club...
in and hit .252 with 64 stolen bases. He was called up to the majors and made his major league debut on September 3. On September 21, against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, he got his first major league hit
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....
, a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
, and also ended the game with a three-run walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
. He spent all of with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
and produced more of the same, a .220 batting average and 61 stolen bases. His batting average improved in to .264 and he played 1 game in the majors for the Mets.
Atlanta Braves
Snead became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with 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....
on November 10, 2004. He stole 46 bases for Triple-A Richmond
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
, but his season was marred by a suspension. In a game against the Syracuse SkyChiefs
Syracuse SkyChiefs
The Syracuse Chiefs are a minor league baseball team based in Syracuse, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals...
, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Dave Bush threw a ball between Snead's legs causing Snead to have to be held back by the 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...
. After drawing a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
, he charged Bush while walking to first base and threw his batting helmet at him, causing both benches to clear. 20 members of the Braves were fined including Snead who also drew a 10-game suspension.
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
signed him on January 24, , and he played for Triple-A Ottawa
Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a minor league baseball team that formerly competed in the Triple-A International League from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over the team's 15 seasons, it was the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Montreal Expos , Baltimore...
. In 41 games, he batted .220 with 15 steals. The Orioles released Snead on May 21.