Brian Snyder and His 'Expansive' Repertoire
It's good to get in on the ground floor...or is that the basement?
Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1986 Topps Brian Snyder (#174) - Card of the Day
It seems that Brian Snyder was destined to pitch for an expansion team, if he was destined to pitch in the majors at all.
His journey down that path began in 1976 when the Texas Rangers selected him in the 16th round of the June draft. You may not think of the Rangers as an expansion team, but they came to Arlington by way of Washington, D.C., where they were reincarnated as the Senators in 1961 after the original Senators became the Minnesota Twins.
So, yeah, the Rangers were an expansion team, even if once or twice removed.
But Snyder decided to try his hand at college ball instead of accepting his low-man draft fate, and he enrolled at Clemson. The expansion Seattle Mariners must have been watching the whole thing unfold, because they drafted him in the seventh round in 1979.
This time, Snyder signed on the dotted line and began his pro career. It would be a long and winding path that took him to five minor league stops over the next six seasons.
Finally, on May 25, 1985, at the age of 27, Snyder made his major league debut for the M’s. He started that game against the Tigers and went 4 2/3 innings, giving up a single run on seven hits while also striking out a whopping seven batters.
That would be the highlight of Snyder’s season, as he’d make 14 more appearances — starting and relief — through July 30, posting an overall record of 1-2 with a single save and a bloated 6.37 ERA.
Even for a struggling Mariners team, that was enough to get Snyder sent back to the Triple-A Calgary Cannons. But in that rookie-card crazy era, that was also enough to earn Snyder a Topps rookie card the next year, as you can see up top.
But the Mariners really didn’t seem happy with Snyder’s performance, and they released him in November. The next month, though, he signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres — yes, another expansion team (1969).
Two years in the Friars’ farm system delivered Snyder to the cusp of his 30s…and to another release.
Then, in December of 1987, he finally broke out of the expansion cycle when he signed with the A’s. Amazingly, after a year and a half in the Oakland bushes, Snyder found himself in the big leagues again in June of 1989 at the age of 31.
He made two relief appearances for the A’s that month, giving up a run in 2/3 of an inning total. Oakland lost both of those contests but had no sweat taking the American League West, the ALCS, or the World Series title that fall.
By then, Snyder was salted away in the minors again, and he’d finish up his career in 1990 in the minors for the Braves — also not an expansion team. He went out with a bang, too, logging 46 relief appearances, 12 saves, and a 2.48 ERA for the Triple-A Richmond Braves.
Today, as Brian Snyder turns 66 years old, there’s no denying he has one of the coolest “birthday cards” most collectors could ever imagine.
1989 Topps Traded Wally Backman (#5T)
The very last batter that Snyder faced in the major leagues was Wally Backman, who walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out.
Backman was pinch hitting for Jim Dwyer, and the base on balls scored Gary Gaettie and moved Randy Bush to third base and Kent Hrbek to second.
The Mets had traded Backman to the Twins in December of 1988 in a deal that mostly involved minor leaguers. That 1989 season would be Backman’s only one in Minneapolis, as the Twins let him walk to the Pirates in free agency that winter and installed Al Newman as their new second baseman.
Topps managed to capture Backman basking in the Twins sunshine, however briefly, in their 1989 Traded set.
—
Junk Wax Royalty, Mylar Division
(affiliate link)
Two years after Backman and Snyder faced off in a low-stakes June game, the Twins had turned the tables on the A’s and were cruising toward a division title.
A lot of their success that year owed to manager Tom Kelly settling on yet another second baseman to anchor the Twinkies infield.
Not only did Chuck Knoblauch win the 1991 American League Rookie of the Year Award, he also hit .350 in the ALCS and .308 in the World Series as the Twins won their second title in five years.
No wonder Knoblauch’s 1991 Upper Deck rookie card (#40) was a hobby hotshot, huh? It was selling for several dollars apiece by the end of the season, which is more than it will cost you most of the time these days.
—
That’s all for a long and winding Tuesday here in the dusty cardboard bins.
May your day (or evening) lead you to some unexpected happy places, too.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam