Former Blue Jays Top Prospect Travis Snider Retires From Baseball
At one point, he was seen as the future of the franchise.
Ahead of the 2008 MLB season, outfielder Travis Snider was the Toronto Blue Jays' top prospect and the 15th best prospect in all of baseball—ahead of future stars like Max Scherzer and Joey Votto.
After 15 years, 630 MLB games, and stints with three different big-league teams, Snider announced his retirement from professional baseball on Thursday.
"I have contemplated this day for a while but the time has finally come for me to hang up the spikes," Snider wrote in an Instagram post.
The 33-year-old broke into the big leagues in 2008, posting an .803 OPS in 24 games for the Blue Jays. A former first-round pick (14th overall), Snider played parts of five seasons for the Jays before he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Brad Lincoln at the 2012 trade deadline. Snider would go on to play in eight different MLB organizations, thanking them all in his retirement post.
Snider's retirement from pro ball comes after a 63-game stint with the Triple A Gwinnett Braves, of the Atlanta system, during the 2021 season. Acquiring 4.3 WAR across 1783 MLB at-bats, he'll retire with 54 career big league homers, a .244 batting average, and a .709 OPS.
"It is a beautiful struggle sharing a clubhouse with 30 other dudes going to battle 100+ times a year." Snider wrote. "I will miss that the most. But I am looking forward to being a more present husband, father, family member, and friend."
To read Snider's retirement post in its entirety, click HERE
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon