Frank Snyder (baseball)
Frank Elton Snyder (May 27, 1894 in San Antonio, Texas - January 5, 1962 in San Antonio, Texas), was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1912 to 1927 for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.[1] Nicknamed Pancho, Snyder was of Mexican descent on his mother's side.[2]
Major league career
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] 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] 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 16 year career, Snyder played in 1392 games, accumulating 1122 hits in 4229 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.[4] 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.[5] His 1,332 career assists rank him 17th all-time among major league catchers.[6]
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.[7] His reputation as a defensive stand out 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.[8]
Coaching career
After his playing career, he served as a coach for the New York Giants, and was a minor league manager.[9]
External links
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Frank Snyder at Baseball Reference
- ^ James, Bill (2001). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press. pp. 409. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.
- ^ Frank Snyder Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac
- ^ Baseball Digest, July 2001, Vol. 60, No. 7, ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Assists as Catcher". Baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/A_c_season.shtml. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Assists as Catcher". Baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/A_c_career.shtml. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ^ Dominating Fielding Catchers at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
- ^ For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense, by George Vass, Baseball Digest, May 2005, Vol. 64, No. 3, ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ Frank Snyder Minor league Manager record at Baseball Reference
| Persondata |
| Name |
Snyder, Frank |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
May 27, 1894 |
| Place of birth |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Date of death |
January 5, 1962 |
| Place of death |
San Antonio, Texas |