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Washington Nationals: Brandon Snyder finishing year strong for Syracuse

By Ricky Keeler |
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 11: Brandon Snyder #19 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a pinch-hit, solo home run in the seventh inning against the New York Mets during the game at Turner Field on September 11, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 11: Brandon Snyder #19 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a pinch-hit, solo home run in the seventh inning against the New York Mets during the game at Turner Field on September 11, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Up at Triple-A Syracuse, Brandon Snyder has been on a hit streak to the plate. Could that lead to a callup to the Washington Nationals in September?

As the minor league season wraps up for the Washington Nationals, many players are looking to end their years on a great note and as a springboard to go into the following year. For some, it could mean a chance to get a trip to the big leagues in September.

If you look at Triple-A Syracuse, they have a couple of players who are building strong chances to get that opportunity. Reliever Wander Suero has given up just four runs in his last 21 innings and Brandon Snyder is on an absolute power surge at the plate.

Snyder has hit six home runs in his last eight games and has a pair of multi-home run games during that stretch. During the month of August, the 30-year-old is hitting .314 with nine home runs and 22 RBI’s (12 RBI’s in his last ten games).

To put his home run numbers in perspective, Snyder’s 22 home runs are the sixth most in the International League this season. Some notable players that are ahead of him on that list are former Pirate Pedro Alvarez (26 for Norfolk) and Rhys Hoskins (29 for Lehigh Valley), who is having a great start to his major league career with the Phillies.

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Now, if you stretch the sample size back to July 18, Snyder is hitting .286 with 18 of his 42 hits going for extra bases. He has clearly recovered from last month, where he had two RBI’s and spent two weeks on the disabled list (July 3-July 17).

The Washington Nationals invited Snyder to spring training this March as a non-roster invitee, but he made a good impression during his time at West Palm Beach. While the team has had their fair share of injuries, first base has been a healthy position with Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Lind, so there’s been no big need for Snyder at the big league level.

Of course, one thing to consider as the rosters will expand on Friday to 40 players is that Snyder is not on the 40-man roster, so the team would have to make a roster move to bring either him or Suero up to the major leagues.

If an injury were to happen and the Washington Nationals need another player, Snyder might be a good fit because of his versatility in the field. While at Triple-A, he has played in 14+ games at first base, second base, third base, left field, and right field.

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It remains to be seen whether or not Snyder will get his chance with the Washington Nationals this season, but his production with Syracuse in 2017 should not be overlooked.

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