Duke Snider (1980)


Date of Birth: 9/19/1926
Date of Death: 2/27/2011
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California

Duke Snider played baseball, basketball, and football in high school before he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, at the age of seventeen. He played in the minor leagues for four years before being called up to the Dodgers in 1947.

Brooklyn Dodgers

In 1947, his first year in the major leagues, Snider played in just 40 games. The following year, he was still a part-time player, appearing in just 53 games. In 1949, his first full season in the major leagues, Snider batted .292 with 161 hits, 28 doubles, 23 home runs, and 92 RBIs in 146 games.

In 1950, Snider led the National League in hits. That season he batted .321 with a career high 199 hits, 31 doubles, 31 home runs, and 107 RBIs in 152 games. He struck out 79 times and walked 58 times.

Snider batted .277 in 150 games in 1951. He had 168 hits, 26 doubles, 29 home runs, and 101 RBIs. He struck out 97 times and walked 62 times. The following season, his batting average went up to .303. He finished the 1952 season with 162 hits, 25 doubles, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 77 strikeouts to 55 walks in 144 games.

Snider excelled in 1953, leading the NL in OPS with 1.046. He played in a career high 153 games and he had 198 hits, 38 doubles, 42 home runs, 126 RBIs, 90 strikeouts to 82 walks, and a .336 batting average.

In 1954, Snider had career highs in hits (199), doubles (39), and batting average (.341). He played in 149 games and he had 40 home runs and 130 RBIs. He struck out 96 times and walked 84 times.

Snider led the NL in RBIs in 1955 with a career high 136. He was named the Sporting News Player of the Year that season. He finished the year with 166 hits, 34 doubles, 42 home runs, and a .309 batting average in 148 games. He walked a career high 104 times that year, while striking out 87 times.

Snider had perhaps his best season in 1956, when he led the NL in home runs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He finished the season with 158 hits, 33 doubles, a career high 43 home runs, 101 RBIs, a .292 batting average, a .399 on-base percentage, and a .997 OPS in 151 games. He walked almost as many times as he struck out (99 walks to 101 strikeouts).

Snider had, for him, a down year in 1957, batting .274 in 139 games. He had 139 hits, 25 doubles, 40 home runs, and 92 RBIs. He struck out 104 times and walked 77. His batting average went up to .312 in 106 games in 1958. He played in 126 games in 1959, and he had 114 hits, 23 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .308 batting average. In 1960, he played in just 101 games and his batting average dropped to .243.

After fourteen successful years with the Dodgers, Snider was plagued by injuries and he played in only 85 games in 1961 and 80 games the following year. At the end of the 1962 season, the Dodgers sold his contract to the New York Mets.

Final Years as a Player

Snider played in 129 games with the Mets in 1963. He had 86 hits and a .243 batting average. After the season ended, he asked to be traded to a winning team and, at the start of the 1964 season, his contract was sold to the San Francisco Giants.

Snider retired after one year with the Giants. In 1964, his last season in the major leagues, Snider played in 91 games and batted .210.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • Led the NL in OPS (2 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Snider in 18 seasons (1947-1964) in the major leagues include:

  • 8 seasons with over 150 hits, with highs of 198 in 1953 and 199 in 1950 and 1954
  • 5 seasons with over 30 doubles, with highs of 38 in 1953 and 39 in 1954
  • 10 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 43 in 1956
  • 6 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 136 in 1955
  • 7 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .341 in 1954

Career batting statistics for Snider include:

  • 2,143 games played
  • 2,116 hits
  • 358 doubles
  • 407 home runs
  • 1,333 RBIs
  • 1,237 strikeouts to 971 walks
  • .295 batting average
  • .380 on-base percentage
  • .920 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Snider at center field include:

  • 1,589 games played
  • 59 errors
  • 3,642 putouts
  • .984 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Snider include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 36 games played
  • 133 at-bats
  • 38 hits
  • 8 doubles
  • 11 home runs
  • 26 RBIs
  • 33 strikeouts to 13 walks
  • .286 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Snider was a manager in the minor leagues for four seasons (1965-1967, 1972).

Snider was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980 on the eleventh ballot with 86.5% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Duke Snider
ESPN - Duke Snider
Baseball Reference - Duke Snider

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