Brad Snyder

Brad Snyder: Outfielder

Age: 24 Height: 6’3” Weight: 200 Bats: Left Throws: Left

Stats & Stuff: The Indians drafted Snyder in the 1st round (31st overall) of the 2003 Draft out of Ball State University. Although they dipped slightly, his 2006 numbers were pretty much a carbon copy of his 2005 numbers. In 2005, Snyder hit a combined .279/.354/.495 with 22 HRs and 82 RBIs combined at Kinston and Akron. Last year, Snyder hit .270/.351/.446 with 18 HRs and 72 RBIs in a return trip to Akron. Also, last year Snyder walked 62 times and struckout 158 times in 523 at bats, compared to walking 49 times and striking out 158 times in 513 at bats in 2005. The 158 strikeouts at Akron last year set a club record. Prior to being drafted, he was the 2003 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.

The Good: Snyder’s stock fell somewhat last year, but the power and physical abilities are there. He comes in ranked above John Drennen mainly because of his power bat as well as his superior defense and base-running. Snyder’s compact stroke generates excellent bat speed, and he has very good power to all fields. His swing is geared for pitches in the zone, and when he stays within himself he hits almost everything hard. Snyder has good speed, which plays up due to his very good instincts on the basepaths. Snyder has mostly played center-field during his time with the Indians, but his power bat and plus arm project him as a major league right-fielder.

With special attention placed on his two-strike approach last season, Snyder consistently hit balls hard the other way. He also was shortening up on his swing, and taking what he was being given and going with pitches, which is something he hardly ever had done in the past. Around mid-season last year, the Indians decided to move Snyder up in the lineup to the leadoff spot from his normal 3-4 spot in the order. The idea behind the move was to get him to see more fastballs and protect him for the time being from seeing multiple pitch types each at bat. The shift in the lineup helped Snyder with his two-strike approach, and the results after the shift were favorable. It was definitely a grind for Snyder last season to work and develop his two strike approach, but like a lot of things in baseball there were good things happening last year with Snyder beyond the numbers.

The Bad: The reason Snyder returned to Akron in 2006 was to work on his two-strike approach and plate discipline. While there were some positives mentioned above with the advancement of his two-strike approach, the progress shown was limited and the strikeout total is still a huge concern. With his lack of discipline, he is still very susceptible to high and outside pitches and pitches in the dirt. In addition to his two-strike approach, the Indians worked extensively with Snyder last year on controlling his front hip and shoulder since he has a habit of pulling it too soon, which results in an incorrect bat path.

The Outlook: When Dave Hudgens came on board as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator last year, he implemented an organization-wide philosophy of drawing walks 10 percent of the time. With the addition of this new hitting philosophy, the idea was for hitters to develop a more patient hitting approach and work counts. One of the players targeted with this new philosophy was Brad Snyder, and while he struggled at times last year he did show some improvement with his 62 walks. The last thing missing in Snyder’s game is the two-strike approach and plate discipline, and it is something he will continue to work on at Buffalo in 2007.

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