| Cory Snyder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Snyder with theSan Diego Surf Dawgs in 2008 | |
| Piratas de Campeche | |
| Right fielder /Manager | |
| Born: (1962-11-11)November 11, 1962 (age 62) Inglewood, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 13, 1986, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 10, 1994, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .247 |
| Home runs | 149 |
| Runs batted in | 488 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Medals | |
James Cory Snyder (born November 11, 1962) is an American former professionalbaseballright fielder. He played nine seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1994 for theCleveland Indians,Chicago White Sox,Toronto Blue Jays,San Francisco Giants, andLos Angeles Dodgers, earning a total of $5.7 million.[1] He was known for his powerful throwing arm.[2][3] He is on thelist of Major League Baseball career assists as a right fielder leaders and thelist of college baseball career home run leaders. Starting in 2006, he has been a baseball coach and a manager in variousminor leagues, and in 2020 also started working as anautomobile salesperson inLindon, Utah.
Snyder grew up inCanyon Country, Santa Clarita, California,[4] and started playing baseball when he was 6 or 7 years old. When he was 8 years old, he joinedLittle League Baseball. His father was a pitcher in theMilwaukee Braves organization for three years until he hurt his arm.[5] Snyder attendedCanyon High School.[4]
Snyder received a full baseball scholarship toBrigham Young University, where he played for theBYU Cougars baseball team.[6] In his first game with BYU, during his first three at-bats, he hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches. He was named 1982 Freshman of the Year.[6][7]
In 1983, Snyder playedcollegiate summer baseball for theHarwich Mariners of theCape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). He batted .321 for the season, belting a league-record 22 home runs, including homers in four consecutive at-bats on July 7–8. Snyder led the Mariners to the league title, and was named the league's outstanding pro prospect. He was inducted into theCape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2003.[8] Snyder played for the USA team in the1983 Pan American Games inVenezuela and is on thelist of Pan American Games medalists in baseball.[6]
In early 1984, he moved toCamarillo, California.[9] In June 1984, Snyder was drafted by the Cleveland Indians as the 4th overall pick in the 1st round of the1984 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He was on the1984 College Baseball All-America Team.
In August 1984, in the1984 Summer Olympics, Snyder was on the firstUnited States national baseball team, which earned asilver medal inbaseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[10]
In 1985, Snyder received theEastern League Most Valuable Player Award.
In May 1986, while playing for theMaine Guides, Snyder was sued after an incident where he threw his bat towards thebackstop, but due topine tar in his hands, it flew into the stands and hit two women sitting in the front row, breaking one of their noses and cracking thedental plate and bloodying the lip of the other.[11][12] A judge dismissed the charges in the criminal case.[13] In March 1988, Snyder settled the civil charges out of court.[14]
In June 1986, Snyder was called up to the major leagues.[5]
In 1986, he finished 4th inAL Rookie of the Year voting.[15]
In 1987, along with teammateJoe Carter, Snyder appeared on the cover ofSports Illustrated.[16]
In 1989, he suffered aback injury after diving for a ball. Aslump in performance followed, leading to an adverse relationship between Snyder and team officials.[17]
On December 4, 1990, theCleveland Indians traded Snyder to theChicago White Sox for pitchersEric King andShawn Hillegas.[18] His salary was set by an arbitrator at $800,000, a $100,000 raise.[19] There, coachWalt Hriniak forced him to change his hitting style, which Snyder believes was for the worse.[5] He also had a strained relationship with managerJeff Torborg after being told he would only play part-time.[5] In July 1991, the White Sox traded Snyder to theToronto Blue Jays forShawn Jeter and a player to be named later.[20]
In March 1992, after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays, Snyder was signed by theSan Francisco Giants.[21] In June 1992, he received the NLMajor League Baseball Player of the Month Award.[1] In December 1992, he was signed by theLos Angeles Dodgers to a two-year contract[22] at $1.5 million per year.[17][1] He retired from the major leagues after the1994–95 Major League Baseball strike.[5] Snyder's total earnings from major league baseball teams was $5,740,000.[1]
In March 1995, he was signed by theSan Diego Padres to a contract with Las Vegas of thePacific Coast League.[23]
In February 1997, Snyder unsuccessfully tried out for theSt. Louis Cardinals.[24]
In 1998, at age 37, Snyder began to think about a career in coaching. At that time, he lived inLaguna Hills, California, where he taught kids baseball in his backyard. He also owned a sporting goods store.[25]
In December 2001, he opened a baseball facility inLindon, Utah.[26]
In March 2006, Snyder received a 10-day assignment to assist in coaching the minor league players of the Cleveland Indians.[27]
From 2007 to 2009, Snyder managed theSt. George Roadrunners of theGolden Baseball League. In 2008, he also managed theSan Diego Surf Dawgs. In 2010, he managed theNa Koa Ikaika Maui, of theNorth American League.[28]
Snyder joined theSeattle Mariners organization as a coach for theJackson Generals in 2011-2013 andTacoma Rainiers in 2014-2015.[29]
He managedPericos de Puebla in theMexican League, leading the team to their first championship in 30 years by defeating theTijuana Toros. He is only the fourth American manager to win Mexico's highest professional level baseball championship.
In 2017-2018, Snyder managed theCTBC Brothers baseball team of theChinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).
In February 2019, Snyder became Director of Public Relations for theOrem Owlz, aMinor League Baseball team.[30][6]
In February 2022, Snyder was named manager of theNorthern Colorado Owlz.
Snyder returned to theMexican League in 2025 as he was named manager of thePiratas de Campeche.[31]
In 2020, Snyder became anautomobile salesperson for MurdockHyundai inLindon, Utah.[32]
Snyder and his wife Tina have been married since 1985 and have six children, Ashley,Amberley, JC, Taylor, Aubrey, and Autumn.[33] They are members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Snyder does not drink alcohol due to his religion.[17] In 1991, Snyder was featured in a public relations campaign by the church to improve the reputation of Mormonism.[34]
In 1998, he moved toMapleton, Utah.[35]
Amberley Snyder, involved in professionalbarrel racing, was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident in January 2010 when she was 18 years old. She is the subject of thebiopicWalk. Ride. Rodeo., produced and distributed byNetflix. Cory was portrayed in the film byBailey Chase.[36][37]
Snyder enjoys playing golf and had a 2handicap.[25]
| Preceded by | Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award June, 1992 | Succeeded by |
