Travis Snider

Who knew that all it took for Snider to begin fulfilling his potential was the recall of Pirates super prospect Gregory Polanco in June? Snider was long ticketed for Pittsburgh's bench when the organization promoted Polanco following the Super 2 arbitration deadline. The team turned back to Snider when Polanco struggled, however, and the husky outfielder slashed .299/.368/.529 in 193 plate appearances from July 12 to season's end. An improvement in plate discipline helped. He lowered his strikeout rate to 18.7% (his previous best in the majors was 24.8% in 2010 with Toronto). Another part of Snider's problem establishing himself has been his inability to stay healthy -- a chronic hamstring dogs him every season. Despite Polanco's struggles last season, the organization still views him as the present and the future at the position, which made Snider expendable. The Pirates traded Snider to Baltimore in January, where he figures to slot in as the primary option in right replacing Nelson Cruz.

To the surprise of many, the Pirates tendered Snider a contract offer in December despite two years of injuries dotting the outfielder's time in Pittsburgh. If the 26-year-old lefty hasn't fooled you with a false-start fantasy breakout, consider yourself lucky. Since breaking onto the major league scene in 2008 as a 20-year-old, Snider has tantalized and teased unsuspecting fantasy owners with his raw power and sweet swing. Unfortunately, he hasn't sustained anything and his stocky (if not portly) body frame has suffered numerous injuries. In 2013, Snider batted .300 in April before an oblique injury forced him out of action. He hit just .189 in 201 at-bats the rest of the way. Pirates general manager, Neal Huntington, has shown great patience with the right fielder, but 2014 is likely his last chance with the Pirates. He's expected to compete with Jose Tabata and others for time in the outfield.

The Pirates took a chance on Snider and his years of club control, trading reliever Brad Lincoln for him at the deadline last summer. Snider, who holds a .308 career batting average and .908 OPS in parts of seven minor league seasons, is still just 25 years of age. His potential has never been questioned but a falling out with Toronto management seemingly stunted his growth. Whether a move to Pittsburgh puts his career back in gear remains to be seen, but at first glance little changed. He hit a punchless .250/.324/.328 with one home run in 128 at-bats for the Bucs, but battling a hamstring issue that apparently never fully healed. The Pirates will give him every opportunity to succeed, as he offers the left-handed power potential that Pittsburgh covets. Snider will compete with Jose Tabata, Alex Presley and Starling Marte for outfield playing time.

Snider got demoted in late April after a slow start at the plate and then had to deal with concussion issues at Triple-A Las Vegas before getting recalled in July. He hit fairly well but got sent back down to work on his approach at the plate before a wrist injury ended his season. He hit well in his time at Triple-A (.327/.394/.480 with 25 walks in 277 plate appearances) but never could put the pieces together at the major league level. He's a pretty good candidate to get dealt at some point, and he faces a potentially crowded picture in left field this spring with Eric Thames and Rajai Davis if he remains in Toronto. The talent is still there but until he shows he can put the pieces back together again he's nothing more than a low-average outfielder with moderate power.

Snider started slowly last season and then got sidelined by a wrist injury just as his bat was waking up in May. He finally got called back up at the end of July, finishing the season with a .255/14/32 line with an alarming 79 strikeouts in 319 plate appearances. He seemed to be getting his timing back at the end of the season, hitting .289 with six homers in September and October. There's still a ton of talent here, and the Jays are counting on him to be a big part of their offense, but be aware that Rajai Davis could give the team another option if Snider starts slowly again.

Snider won a roster spot with a strong spring but struggled and was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas at the end of May. He suffered a back injury while in Vegas but mashed the ball upon returning and earned himself a callup to Toronto after hitting .337 with 14 homers in 40 games when Alex Rios was traded to Chicago. He showed flashes of power but took his share of lumps, finishing the season with a .241 average and nine homers. He likely won't have a guaranteed roster spot this spring but it's hard to imagine him not making the Opening Day roster unless he totally falls apart this spring. Look for him to sit against most southpaws to start the season as he continues to get his feet wet. He's a wonderful prospect, but will experience some growing pains in 2010 as the team's primary right fielder.

Snider must have felt like he was running for office last season, with stops at High-A Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire, Triple-A Syracuse and finally with the Jays. A blistering stint at Triple-A (.344 average in 18 games) landed him in Toronto at the end of the season. He'll turn 21 in February and has more than held his own against much older competition as he's moved up the ranks in the minors, but he figures to experience some growing pains in the majors if he can't improve on his BB:K ratio (5:23 in just 73 at-bats with Toronto). He'll have a chance to win a roster spot this spring, but don't be shocked to see the Jays send him back to Triple-A for a little more seasoning to start the season if he struggles.

Snider continued his rise through the system with a solid season at Low-A Lansing (.313/.377/.525) and followed it up with a good season in the Arizona Fall League (.316/.404/.541 and 15 walks in 98 at-bats). He needs to cut back on the strikeouts just a bit, but that's nit picking when you consider he's just 19 years old. His AFL performance might be enough to have him skip High-A Dunedin and go straight to Double-A New Hampshire to begin the 2008 season. He's clearly Toronto's best hitting prospect.

Snider was Toronto's first pick in the 2006 draft and he performed well in his pro debut, hitting .325/.412/.567 in the short-season Appalachian League. He's expected to progress rapidly up the chain.