BA Top 10 Pros #1 Travis Snider
1. Travis Snider, of Born: Feb. 2, 1988 B-T: L-L Ht: 5-11 Wt: 245
Drafted: HS—Mill Creek, Wash., 2006 (1st round.). Signed by: Brandon Mozley.
Background: Evan Longoria may be the best hitter taken in the 2006 draft,
but Snider has done nothing to diminish his case as the best high school
hitter from that same draft. After signing for $1.7 million as the 14th
overall pick, Snider proceeded to earn Rookie-league Appalachian League
MVP and No. 1 prospect honors in his first pro summer. He followed up by
leading the the low Class A Midwest League with 35 doubles, 58 extra-base
hits, 93 RBIs and a .525 slugging percentage in 2007. After hitting
.316/.404/.541 as the second-youngest player in the Arizona Fall League,
he was expected to begin 2008 at Double-A New Hampshire, but a
spring-training right elbow injury relegated him to DH duty with high
Class A Dunedin. He started slowly upon a promotion to Double-A in late
April, needing 23 games to push his average to .200 while striking out in
42 percent of his at-bats. His ailing elbow negatively affected his swing
path, and he developed the bad habit of pulling off the ball as he tried
to yank everything to right field. Snider appeared to be fully recovered
by mid-May, and in his final 93 minor league games, he batted .293/.368/.499
with 15 homers and 25 doubles. Toronto rewarded Snider with a September
callup, during which he batted .301 with power as the American League's
youngest player.
Strengths: With strength, bat speed and a simple lefthanded swing, Snider
projects to hit for average and plus power to all fields in the big leagues.
Despite his lofty strikeout totals, he has exceptional control of the bat
barrel, showing a knack for hitting balls in any part of the zone with
authority. His sound hitting base enhances his balance, and he already
uses the opposite field when pitchers try to work him on the outer half,
a positive sign for a young hitter. In fact, he smashed his first
big league homer slightly left of center field. Snider is more athletic
than his 5-foot-11, 245-pound frame suggests, and his arm is strong enough
for right field (though he'll probably play left with Vernon Wells and
Alex Rios in Toronto). He always puts forth consistent effort on defense.
A natural leader, he receives uniformly high marks for his competitive makeup.
Weaknesses: Because lefthanders threw him a steady diet of offspeed
pitches—even in hitter's counts—Snider struggled versus southpaws
in the high minors, hitting a mere .233/.295/.310 in a limited sample
of 116 Double-A and Triple-A at-bats. Showing a more patient approach
could help him overcome this shortcoming, as he showed a tendency toward
free swinging as he moved up the ladder. It's not a long-term concern if
he refines his approach to the point where he's confident hitting with two
strikes.
Physically mature with a muscular build and a thick lower half, Snider has
below-average running speed and always will need to make conditioning a
priority. His outfield range is average at best.
The Future: Toronto's trade of Matt Stairs to the Phillies at the end of
August cleared a spot for another outfielder, and the Blue Jays decided
to give Snider a taste of the big leagues. He figures into the club's
2009 plans, though he may begin the year with the Jays' new Triple-A Las
Vegas affiliate. Either way, it shouldn't be long before he takes his place
as a middle-of-the-order threat and team leader for Toronto.
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