Latest setback won’t deter 51s’ Snider

Heading into spring training, the Blue Jays' starting left fielder's job shaped up as a battle between Eric Thames and Travis Snider.

But based on the players' performances last season, Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos told Snider it was Thames' job to lose.

"I knew coming into it that it was going to be an uphill battle for me," Snider said. "But I didn't let it discourage me at any point."

Despite hitting .271 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 17 games -- Thames hit .359 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 23 games -- Snider failed in his bid to make the team and was optioned to Las Vegas.

"It wasn't really a situation for me to come in and take the job," Snider said. "I had to tip my hat and come down here and continue to get better as a player."

The demotion was the latest setback for Snider, who in his seven-year career has yet to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a former high school phenom, first-round draft pick and top prospect.

But the burly slugger from Washington -- who has batted .248 with 28 home runs and 104 RBIs in 232 games with the Blue Jays over parts of the past four seasons -- isn't looking back. After all, he just turned 24 in February.

"My mindset is to continue to focus on today and what I can do to get better for tomorrow and not dwell on the past," he said. "I felt I drove the ball well in spring training, and I'm looking to build off what I established down there and continue to develop into a complete player and ultimately reach my goal of being an everyday major league player."

A .306 hitter in the minors who has thrived in Las Vegas, the left-handed Snider crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run to left-center field in the sixth inning Friday against Sacramento at Cashman Field. He also hit a two-out single in the 10th and scored on David Cooper's single to give the 51s a 4-3 win.

The 6-foot, 230-pound Snider is 4-for-9 with three RBIs and three runs in Las Vegas' first two games this season.

51s hitting coach Chad Mottola is confident Snider eventually will have a breakthrough year in the majors and stay there.

"I have no problem saying that," he said. "There's been plenty of superstars out there who have gone through the same things, going up and down, before they realized what they need to do. It's part of growing up in the baseball world."

Toronto's first pick, the 14th overall, in the 2006 draft, Snider was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in the game in 2008 and the Blue Jays' No. 1 prospect in 2008 and 2009.

He made his major league debut for Toronto in 2008, hitting a career-high .301 in 24 games, but batted a career-low .225 with three homers in 49 games last year.

Snider has yet to appear in more than 82 games in a season for the Blue Jays.

"If I perform better, it's not the same situation," he said.

Mottola, a former fifth overall pick who mostly played in the minors in a 16-year career, said Snider still has plenty of time to figure things out.

"Sometimes it's too late, like it was for myself, but he's still 24 years old," he said. "He's gone through all the stages at such a young age. He's considered a veteran at 24, that's the crazy part about it.

"There's definitely a bright, consistent future for him. He'll figure out a way to get it done."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.