Former Pirates outfielder announces retirement

On Thursday, it was reported that former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Travis Snider has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball following an eight year career.

The 33-year-old made the announcement in an Instagram post and he cited that he was contemplating retirement for a while and that the time had finally come for him to “hang up the spikes.”

Snider was selected 14th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 MLB Draft, and came over to the Pirates in 2012 as part of the Brad Lincoln trade. He spent three seasons as a platoon outfielder with the Bucs and encountered moderate success.

His best season came in 2014, where he slashed .264/.338/.438. But while “Lunch Box Hero” wasn’t known for his offensive ability, his biggest factor was his defense. In each season with Pittsburgh, Snider had an average fielding percentage of 99 percent across all three seasons, even nabbing a perfect 100 percent mark in 2012.

Plus, who could forget his insane catch against the New York Mets in 2012?

In January 2015, Snider was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Stephen Tarpley and a player to be named later, which turned out to be Steven Brault. The Orioles, however, released him in August of that year and the Pirates re-signed him days later.

His final at-bat with the Pirates came during the 2015 Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs, where he singled to center off that year’s Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta – which also turned out to be his final career at-bat in the Majors.

He was signed to multiple minor league deals following his departure from the Pirates, but couldn’t find his way back onto a Major League roster. He finishes his career with 54 home runs, 100 RBI and a WRC+ of 93.