Outfielder, New
York Mets
Age: 37 (Sept. 19)
1st season
with Mets
Bats – Left,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 179
Prior to 1963:
A California
native, Edwin Snider was tagged with the nickname “Duke” by his father due to
his self-assured manner. A fine natural athlete, he was active in football,
basketball, and track, as well as baseball, at Compton High School in the Los
Angeles area. Following a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he signed for $250
per month with a $750 bonus and impressed the front office as a 17-year-old in
spring training in 1944 with his strong throwing arm, speed, and power hitting.
The club was less impressed by his temperamental attitude. Assigned to Newport
News of the Class B Piedmont League he batted .294 with 34 doubles, 6 triples,
9 home runs, 50 RBIs, a .364 on-base percentage, and .438 slugging percentage. He
also accounted for 25 assists in the outfield. Following the season, Snider
joined the Navy and missed the 1945 season and some of 1946. Joining the Fort
Worth Cats of the Class AA Texas League in ’46, he appeared in 68 games and hit
.250 with 13 doubles, 5 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a .320 OBP. Graceful in the
outfield and a speedster on the basepaths, he started the 1947 season with the
Dodgers, where he was united with Jackie Robinson, who he admired from his days
as a star athlete in the Los Angeles area, and who he appreciated for his
courage in breaking baseball’s color barrier as well. In a reserve role Snider
appeared in 40 games and batted .241 with a .276 OBP before being sent down to
St. Paul of the Class AAA American Association in July, having gained a
reputation for moodiness and immaturity although impressive in the outfield. In
66 games with St. Paul Snider hit .316 with 22 doubles, 7 triples, 12 home
runs, 46 RBIs, a .352 OBP, and a .584 slugging percentage. Following intensive
work to improve his strike zone judgment in the spring with batting coach
George Sisler, Snider started the 1948 season with the Montreal Royals of the
Class AAA International League. He was batting .327 with 28 doubles, 17 home
runs, 77 RBIs, a .403 OBP, and a .644 slugging percentage when he was called up
to the Dodgers in August. In 53 games he hit .244 with 17 extra-base hits that
included 5 homers, 21 RBIs, and a .297 OBP. Named the starting center fielder
in 1949, Snider struck out a league-leading 92 times while batting .292 with 28
doubles, 7 triples, 23 home runs, 92 RBIs, a .361 OBP, and a .493 slugging
percentage. The left-handed pull hitter found Ebbets Field’s dimensions to be
most conducive. Defensively, he ranked second among NL center fielders with 11
assists and a .984 fielding percentage and third with 355 putouts. In his first
taste of World Series action against the Yankees he batted only .143 in five
games and struck out 8 times. Brooklyn narrowly failed to repeat as NL champ in
1950, but Snider showed improvement as he cut down on strikeouts and led the
circuit in hits (199) and total bases (343) while batting .321 with 31 doubles,
10 triples, 31 home runs, 107 RBIs, a .379 OBP, and a .553 slugging percentage.
Along the way he had a three-home run game against the Phillies. He remained
formidable in center field, was an All-Star for the first time, and placed ninth
in league MVP voting. Snider was an All-Star again in 1951 as he got off to a
strong start along with the rest of the club. But he slumped during the second
half and finished at .277 with 26 doubles, 29 home runs, 101 RBIs, a .344 OBP,
and a .483 slugging percentage. His strikeouts also increased and the Dodgers
were tied atop the NL by the surging Giants, which necessitated a playoff that
the Giants won in dramatic fashion. Prematurely gray in his mid-20s, Snider was
criticized by teammates for his moping and complaining and he also had an
often-contentious relationship with sportswriters. Benched for a time in 1952,
he surged down the stretch as the Dodgers regained the NL pennant and ended up
hitting .303 with 25 doubles, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs, a .368 OBP, and a .494
slugging percentage. He eliminated 20 strikeouts from his 1951 total and
continued to be a top performer in center field. In the seven-game World Series
loss to the Yankees, Snider hit .345 with 4 homers and 8 RBIs. 1953 was another
pennant-winning season for the Dodgers and “the Duke of Flatbush” contributed
by leading the NL in runs scored (132), slugging (.627), and total bases (370),
while batting .336 with 38 doubles, 42 home runs, 126 RBIs, and a .419 OBP. The
only criticism of his defensive play was his not charging ground balls in the
outfield, causing baserunners to frequently go for an extra base on balls hit
toward Snider despite his strong throwing arm. The Dodgers again fell to the
Yankees in the World Series despite another strong showing by Snider at the
plate where he hit .320 with a home run and 5 RBIs. His performance on the
season resulted in a third-place finish in league MVP balloting. The Dodgers
ended up second in 1954 and Snider tied for the NL lead in runs scored (120)
and he also topped the circuit in total bases (378) while contending for the
batting title at .341 along with 39 doubles, 10 triples, 40 home runs, 130
RBIs, a .423 OBP, and a .647 slugging percentage. At the end of May he added to
his reputation for making outstanding defensive plays with his leaping catch of
a long fly ball by Philadelphia’s third baseman Willie Jones at the Connie Mack
Stadium fence to preserve a Brooklyn win in the twelfth inning. He later
received a trophy from Dell Baseball Annual for the catch that was
judged to be the most spectacular defensive play of the 1954 season. Snider and
the Dodgers got off to a strong first half in 1955 on the way to the NL pennant
and he started in center field for the NL in the All-Star Game. When his
performance slowed following the All-Star break, he was booed by Brooklyn fans
and blasted them in the press. Further booing became cheers again when Snider
returned to form and the club went on to not only win the pennant, but for the
first time ever, the World Series as well. For the season, Snider topped the
league in runs scored (126) and RBIs (136) while batting .309 with 34 doubles,
42 home runs, a .418 OBP, and a .628 slugging percentage. In the World Series,
won in seven games against the Yankees, he hit .320 with 4 home runs and 7
RBIs. For his overall performance he was named major league Player of the Year
by The Sporting News, although he finished a close second to teammate
Roy Campanella in league MVP balloting. The Dodgers won the pennant again in
1956 and Snider led the NL in home runs (43), walks drawn (99), OBP(.399), and
slugging (.598) while batting .292. He was the batting star of the
pennant-clinching win against Pittsburgh, to cap off the regular season. Snider
placed tenth in league MVP voting and in the seven-game World Series loss to
the Yankees he hit .304 with one home run and 4 RBIs. The Dodgers dropped to
third in 1957 but Snider hit 40 home runs (giving him 40 or more for the fifth
straight season) and batted .274 with 92 RBIs, a .368 OBP, and a .587 slugging
percentage. With the club’s move to Los Angeles in 1958, Snider was leaving
Ebbets Field, a ballpark well suited to his talents, for the oddly contoured LA
Coliseum, with a spacious right field that hampered his home run power. A knee
injury suffered in a spring car accident also hampered his performance and he
batted .312 with 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .371 OBP, and a .505 slugging
percentage. As a native of the Los Angeles area, Snider became popular and
prominent with the club’s new fans and had his own daily radio program. The
Dodgers rebounded to win the NL pennant in 1959 and Snider contributed by
batting .308 with 23 home runs, 88 RBIs, a .400 OBP, and a .535 slugging
percentage. In a crowded outfield situation with young talent entering the
picture, Snider split time in center and right field with Don Demeter and Ron
Fairly. In the World Series triumph over the Chicago White Sox, he hit .200
with a home run and two RBIs. Recurring knee trouble limited Snider to 101
games in 1960 and he batted .243 with 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, a .366 OBP, and a
.519 slugging percentage. In 1961 a broken right elbow held Snider to 85 games
in which he hit .296 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, a .375 OBP, and a .562
slugging percentage. Honored for his 16 seasons with the Dodgers in 1962,
Snider was named team captain. He accounted for the first Dodger hit at the new
Dodger Stadium, but otherwise did not contribute significantly while appearing
in 80 games and connecting for only 5 home runs while hitting .278. Rumored to
be on his way out in the offseason, he was sold to the Mets during spring
training in 1963.
1963 Season Summary
Appeared in 129
games
RF – 63, LF – 35, PH – 34, CF – 11
[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 415
At Bats – 354
Runs – 44
Hits – 86
Doubles – 8
Triples – 3
Home Runs – 14
RBI – 45
Bases on Balls
– 56 [14, tied with Dick Groat]
Int. BB – 9
[10, tied with Billy Williams, Bill White & Stan Musial]
Strikeouts – 74
Stolen Bases – 0
Caught Stealing
– 1
Average - .243
OBP - .345 [Non-qualifying]
Slugging Pct. -
.401
Total Bases – 142
GDP – 2
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 4
Midseason snapshot: HR - 12, RBI - 28, AVG - .230, OBP - .349
---
Most hits, game
– 3 (in 4 AB) vs. San Francisco 5/3, (in 4 AB) vs. St. Louis 8/7
Longest hitting
streak – 7 games
HR at home – 7
HR on road – 7
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. San Francisco 5/3
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 3 vs. San Francisco 5/3, vs. Cincinnati 5/12, vs. St. Louis 6/7, at San
Francisco 7/25
Pinch-hitting – 6 for 29 (.207) with 4 RBI & 5 BB
Fielding
Chances – 146
Put Outs – 139
Assists – 5
Errors – 2
DP – 0
Pct. - .986
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
---
The Mets went 51-111 to finish tenth (last) in the NL, 48 games behind the pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers while leading the league in batting strikeouts (1078), fewest hits (1168), fewest doubles (156), and lowest batting average (.219). In their second season, the Mets remained a collection of aging veterans, such as Snider, and young talent. An 0-8 start sent them quickly into the cellar and while a five-game May winning streak pulled them into sixth place, they were back in tenth to stay by July 4, finishing only marginally better than in their inaugural season. They still drew 1,080,108 fans in their last season in the Polo Grounds. Snider was a nostalgic favorite with the New York fans, with many of the Met fans having previously been supporters of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Aftermath of 1963:
Having appeared in his most games since 1957, Snider requested a trade to a contending team and was dealt to the San Francisco Giants (the club that had been a perpetual rival to the Dodgers) in 1964. Utilized primarily as a pinch-hitter in his final season, he appeared in 91 games and batted .210 while adding four home runs to his career total. For his major league career, Snider batted .295 with 2116 hits that included 358 doubles, 85 triples, and 407 home runs. He scored 1259 runs and compiled 1333 RBIs, a .380 OBP, and a .540 slugging percentage. Appearing in 36 World Series games, he hit .286 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. An eight-time All-Star, he finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting six times. The Dodgers retired his #4 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. Following baseball, he pursued his dream of owning an avocado ranch, which he sold within a few years. He scouted and managed in the minor leagues for the Dodgers and became a broadcaster for the San Diego Padres for three years. After serving as a part-time hitting instructor for the Montreal Expos, he encountered health and legal problems and died in 2011 at age 84. Criticized during his career for his temperamental nature and for controversial comments to the effect that he only played baseball for the money, Snider was also recognized as an outstanding hitter and defensive outfielder who significantly contributed to winning teams.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category will also include
Misc. players who don’t otherwise qualify but received MVP votes or were
contributors to teams that reached the postseason.
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