Snyder began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1912 at the age of 18.[1] He was traded to the New York Giants in the middle of the 1919 season.[3] Snyder was a member of John McGraw's New York Giants teams that won four consecutive National League pennants between 1921 and 1924 and played on two World Series winners in 1921 and 1922.[1]
Snyder also homered in the final game of the 1923 World Series, but the Yankees staged a comeback to defeat the Giants.
During that period, Snyder posted a batting average above .300 three times, with a .320 average in 1921, a .343 average in 1922 and a .302 average in 1924.[1] Snyder hit the first major league home run in the history of Braves Field in 1922.[4] It was the first home run hit in the seven seasons played at the cavernous ballpark. In 1926, he was selected off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals.[1] He played for the Cardinals in 1927 before retiring at the end of the season at the age of 33.[1]
Career statistics
In a sixteen-year major league career, Snyder played in 1,392 games, accumulating 1,122 hits in 4,229 at bats for a .265 career batting average along with 44 triples, 47 home runs and 525 runs batted in.[1] A good defensive player, his .981 career fielding average was 8 points higher than the league average over the span of his playing career.[1] Snyder led National League catchers in fielding percentage three times: in 1914, 1923 and 1925.[5] He also led the league twice in putouts and caught stealing percentage and, once in assists and in baserunners caught stealing.[1] His 204 assists as a catcher in 1915 is the seventh highest single-season total in major league baseball history.[6] His 1,332 career assists rank him 17th all-time among major league catchers.[7]
Richard Kendall of the Society for American Baseball Research devised an unscientific study that ranked Snyder as the ninth-most dominating fielding catcher in major league history.[8] His reputation as a defensive standout is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the Deadball Era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs.[9]
Coaching career
After his playing career, he served as a coach for the New York Giants, and was a minor leaguemanager.[10]
