Written by Greg Fertel
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25 October 2007
- Age: 21
- Height: 5'9"
- Weight: 190 lbs
- Position: Shortstop / 3rd Base / 2nd Base / OF
- Bats: Left
- Throws: Right
Scouting Report: Snyder is a short guy, but he's not small. When you meet him, you see that he has a bulldog's body. Definitely not a guy that I'd want to take on in a fight. On the field, his best tool is hitting, with a quick stroke to all fields. He never has hit for substantial power, but did pretty well with a wooden bat this year. Since his freshman year in college, Snyder has consistently walked at a 75+ pace, closing in on a 100 walk pace in the New York-Penn League this year. He's not a great defender at shortstop, but is more than serviceable at the other positions. Snyder isn't incredibly fast, but he has good instincts on the field and a strong arm. I'd also just like to add that from my experience talking to Snyder, he is a very intelligent person and very well grounded.
History: Despite a strong career at the University of San Diego, culminating with a .352/.433/.482 year, where he walked 37 times and struck out 34 times in a 61-game season at the age of 21. Snyder never displayed much power - hitting just 12 home runs in three seasons in college. Before the draft, he was expected to be picked in the first 10 rounds by a statistically-inclined team, but his small size and power outage scared teams off. The Yankees picked him up and Snyder quickly signed.
This Season: Snyder was one of the Yankee's "big three" in Staten Island this year, along with
Damon Sublett and Braedyn Pruitt. He spent most of his time at shortstop, though played significant amounts in center, 2nd, and 3rd. Snyder hit .335/.459/.477, with a 50/58 K/BB ratio and 5 HR in 73 games. Snyder probably shouldn't have been trying to steal - he was 10 for 20 in attempts, but besides that he was one of the league's top hitters over a three month span. Snyder pounded lefties (20 hits in 48 at bats), and was aided by a .409 BABIP. Still, that BABIP isn't obscenely high for a hitter who dominates his level. Snyder simply over matched his competition, and his real test will come in the Florida State League next year.
Outlook: Until he hits against more experienced FSL pitchers, there is no telling what Snyder's true ability levels were. Against the short season pitchers, Snyder was excellent, but the New York-Penn League pitchers seemed weaker than normal this year. The good news is that he handled the wood bat transition perfectly and has built himself a well of confidence to hold him up when the humidity is 90% near year. Expect to see him bouncing around positions a lot next year - he'll be competing with Pruitt, Sublett, Nunez, and a slew of outfielders for playing time - but his eventual destination is probably 2nd base. He doesn't have the best range at shortstop, nor the bat for 3rd. Center is an option too, but the Yankees have better at that position.
Ranking: I wanted to rank Snyder (and his two counterparts from Staten Island) higher, but I couldn't. He just hasn't proven enough yet. We introduced nearly 15 new prospects on to the list this year, and Snyder was was of those pushed out. A lot of organizations would have a guy like him in their top-20. He'll certainly get some consideration out of me at mid-season for a big promotion should he rake early. Comparisons to Dustin Pedroia aren't necessarily out of whack, but it should be noted that the Red Sox 2nd baseman had much superior statistics in college (he batted .400 I believe two out of three years). I think that Snyder could make an interesting utility player in the mold of Rob Mackowiak, but good.
