Braves infielder Brandon Snyder was happy to be back in a MLB clubhouse. In fact, he got a little emotional when describing his long road back.
“After having injuries and going to independent ball and everything else, you start to feel like it would never happen again,” Snyder said. “But I tried to keep it together. Just looking and seeing everybody that is in here, I pretty much played with them with other teams in the big leagues or in Gwinnett.
Snyder returns to the majors after spending the past couple of seasons in Triple-A. He also spent a season with Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.
While at Gwinnett, he hit .325 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. He also played all over the infield and earned the name “Lunatic” for his plays in the field.
“I’ve never had that nickname before, but I think it is a good complement,” he said. “Sometimes it is running into walls, diving for balls, and stealing bases to do anything to help the team win.”
The Braves appreciated his toughness and decided to give him a call-up. That happened Thursday morning after fellow infielder Gordon Beckham was placed on the disabled list. Beckham re-injured his left hamstring in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory over the Giants.
For Snyder, he understands the opportunity in front of him. He said that his game plan is to continue making the necessary plays to win games.
“I’m just really happy to have the opportunity as the last couple of years have been really tough,” he said. “God has been really good with putting me in this position. But honestly, it is really about me coming up here and trying to be versatile.”
That versatility can potentially help the Braves. Snyder has played first base, third base and the corner outfield spots in his career. He also is another right-handed hitter that the Braves can use against tough lefties or to spell Freddie Freeman at first.
Regardless, Snyder said he will take his experience in stride. He has had a taste of being out of baseball and wants to do everything possible to enjoy his time.
“I kind of realized that I need to stop treating it like a job and have fun with it,” he said. “I think the fun aspect of going out every day and playing the game hard is why I think I am here today.”
