MILB Prospect Profile: Outfielder Travis Snider—Toronto Blue Jays

When the Toronto Blue Jays selected Travis Snider in 2007, it marked a significant change in the drafting philosophy held by current General Manager J.P. Riccardi.

In previous drafts Riccardi would focus on safe college players with less upside whose path to the majors would be relatively short, but with Snider, Riccardi opted with not only the best high school bat in the draft, but also a player who represents an extremely high ceiling. 


Contact Skills: 8.2/10

Snider is a rare breed of power prospect who has the type of swing capable of hitting over .300 through his career.

Though Snider packs a lot of power in his swing, he has very quick hands able to turn on any pitch.  Most sluggers like Snider generally like to pull the ball, but Snider likes to spray the ball around while some of his most powerful bombs have gone opposite field.

In both Rookie and A Ball, Snider hit for a combined .319 on his way to winning MVP in the Appalachian League. Snider continued to hover close to .290 until his AAA promotion in 2008, where he mashed the ball around to the tune of .344 before getting promoted up to the big leagues.

Hitting for Power: 9.0/10

Plain and simple, Travis Snider represents the first true power threat since Carlos Delgado in the Blue Jays minor league system.

Snider has a powerful build and a strong lower half which allows him to generate power to all fields.  Snider projects to be a middle of the order RBI machine and amassed 225 RBI in the minors before he turned 21, including 93 RBI in A Ball when he was just 19.

Through all the levels in the minors, Snider has only slugged under .500 once, which was in AA where he set a career high in 2008 with 17 HRs.

Snider uses a slightly open stance in order to maximize extension when generating power, though he is susceptible to the outside half of the plate.

Snider has the type of raw power potential that scouts drool over and is capable of over 30 HRs a year with ease.

Plate Discipline: 6.8/10

If there is one glaring weakness in Snider’s offensive arsenal it is his high strikeout rate.

At times Snider’s swing can get long, especially when LHP throw him off-speed pitches down and away. Snider has amassed an enormous combined strikeout percentage of 29.1 through his minor league stays including a 36.1 strikeout percentage rate in A+ Ball where he whiffed at least once every three at bats.

Snider is very young, but must realize that he will not get anything to hit if he continues to swing at bad pitches. Despite Snider's high strikeout number, Snider has shown he can take a walk by posting a 12.6 percent walk rate in AA while his OBP has never dipped under .333.

Snider’s plate discipline should improve as his knowledge of the strike zone continues to improve over time.

Intangibles: 7.5/10

Snider won’t win any Gold Glove's in the outfield, but he has good defensive instincts and his athleticism should allow him to be a well above average defensive player.  Snider also possesses an above average arm, but his accuracy needs improvement.

Though Snider is built like a 1B, he gets great jumps off the ball and his intelligent route running makes up for his lack of game breaking speed. Though Snider’s speed may not match other top outfield prospects such as Maybin or Heyward, he is a smart base runner and won’t hurt the team on the base paths.

Big League Predictions

ETA: 2009 

MLB Comparison: Jeremy Burnitz 

Fantasy Advice: While he might struggle initially posting high strikeout numbers, Snider is a masher in the mold of Mark Teixeria and should become a nice source of power. In 2009, Snider is a must in Keeper Leagues and should receive strong consideration in all formats, as he will be an offensive force for the next decade in the AL. 

Major League Stats: Expect annual averages of .290 Avg / 30+ HR / 110 + RBI

Risky Prediction: Snider will become the youngest Blue Jay to hit 200 HR