Blue Jays: Former top prospect Travis Snider signs with Arizona

Travis Snider, a former top prospect in the Blue Jays organization, has signed on with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor-league deal, according to his new organization.

Travis Snider, an outfielder who, on August 29, 2008, became the youngest player in history to play in the majors with the Blue Jays, has signed on with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization on a minor-league pact, Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, announced on Twitter Thursday night.

Snider, 30, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2006 draft (two spots ahead of Jeremy Jeffress and 16 picks ahead of Adam Ottavino). He quickly shot up the organizational depth chart and became the organization’s top prospect, thanks chiefly to his victory at the 2008 Eastern League Home Run Derby and his solid 18 game run with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs.

Despite the lofty expectations placed upon him, the native of Kirkland, Washington struggled in his first few major-league seasons, slashing a cumulative .255/.318/.446 in 183 games over parts of three seasons from 2008-2010.

After appearing in just 10 games during the first half of the 2012 season, Snider was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and proceeded to slash .242/.313/.391 with them over the next three seasons before eventually being dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in a minor deal.

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He was then designated for assignment and released in August 2014. Following yet another short stint with the Pirates, Snider signed on with the Kansas City Royals, spent some time in their minor-league system, and was promptly released in July of 2016.

During the 2017 season, Snider logged time with the Texas Rangers and New York Mets organizations before electing free agency in November and signing on with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league. While with Long Island, he slashed a healthy .290/.374/.463 in 94 games while adding 13 home runs, 71 RBI and 20 doubles in 404 plate appearances.

Interestingly enough, the 2018 Long Island Ducks also featured former Blue Jays Emilio Bonifacio and Dioner Navarro, each of whom appeared in over 30 games for the club. The team’s pitching staff featured former big leaguers Fernando Abad and Francisco Rodriguez.

According to Sportsnet Stats, Snider is one of only nine Blue Jays rookies with multiple two home run games, the most recent of which are Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Josh Phelps and Eric Hinske.