Brandon Snyder

My former URI teammate Ryan Cunningham grew up with Brandon in Virginia. We were freshmen in college when Ryan started talking about this kid back home who was going to be something special. Brandon was still in high school. That's how good he was. Everyone already knew it.

Team USA, LSU commit, big league bloodline, he had it all going for him.

Brandon was selected in the 1st round (13th overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He went on to play 17 years of professional baseball, appearing in the big leagues with Baltimore, Texas, Boston, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.

He earned a World Series ring with the 2013 Boston Red Sox. He played alongside and against some of the best players in the world.

Two big leaguers from the same family. His cousin Madison Younginer also made it to the big leagues. His brothers Matt and Michael played AAA and AA respectively. Oh and his father Brian, was a big leaguer too.

Baseball wasn't just something the Snyders did. It was who they were.

When Ryan finally connected us I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a great conversation with someone who was generous with his time, his stories, and his perspective. I picked his brain. I listened. I tried to absorb every piece of information I could get from Brandon.

What Brandon shared with us isn't a highlight reel. It's a roadmap. For parents. For coaches. For every kid who loves this game and every adult trying to figure out how to help them.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Your dad Brian was a big leaguer. You grew up in a house where someone had actually done it. What did he do right as a baseball dad and what did that environment teach you about what this game actually takes?

My dad was big on it being our journey and not his. He pushed us to play lots of sports but never pushed us toward baseball. Living in that environment made me love the game but it was always going to be up to me. Whenever I asked for extra BP or ground balls he was always there. He knew if I wasn't pushing myself from within it was never going to work. The game is too hard. If the player isn't the driving force it will burn you out.

Two big leaguers from the same family. You and your cousin Madison Younginer both made it. Your brother Matt played AAA, your brother Michael played AA. What did you take from each other and how did that shape who you became?

The hardest part about playing baseball at the highest level is much different than people think. Yes, the game is hard but the day to day mental grind is the toughest aspect. People think about the physical way more. They're mind blown about how guys can hit a 100mph fastball or play 200 games a year. But that's all just preparation and repetition. Mentally staying even keel through the roller coaster of success and failure is the real grind. Mix that with being away from family for over half the year, sleeping on buses, dealing with everything that comes with being a husband and father and you can start to paint the real picture. Luckily having a father who ground out his career and fought those battles first hand gave us a really good foundation to lean on. We always had each other to talk to when we needed someone who understood. You can't put a price on that and I truly believe that's why we were able to be successful.

17 years of pro ball requires a level of discipline and mental toughness most people never develop. Where did yours come from and was it taught or did you figure it out the hard way?

Loving the work was my biggest asset. I loved perfecting my craft and watching it play out on the field. I was also fortunate that my father started running baseball facilities when he retired so I always had a place to go after school and was surrounded by older guys working at their game. I was always in the cage. I'd sit in our automated cages and hit by myself every day for as long as I can remember. I had a key to the facility and when I could drive I'd go up with my buddies and hit for hours. Before that I was throwing balls against a wall in my basement and making diving plays like I saw on TV. I was obsessed with being the best player on the field. Every time.

I kept that mentality through high school and into pro ball. I tell kids all the time, when you step between the lines you have to tell yourself you're the best player on the field. Period. If you're second guessing it then you haven't done the work

What's the most important thing this journey taught you about yourself, about life, that you carry with you now as a dad and a coach?

Baseball is the toughest game you could ever try to play. Whether you're in T-ball or an MVP in the league, you are going to fail. A lot. Kids that think they enjoy baseball for the success have a tough thing coming. There just isn't enough of it to keep you in love with it, especially as you get older.

What real ball players enjoy is the constant failure and uphill battle to get just a small taste of success. There is no better sport to prepare you for life. Life is hard. You're going to fail. What are you gonna do about it? You only have one choice, dust yourself off and keep swinging.

Teammates are the coaches we don't talk about enough. Who had the biggest influence on you in that clubhouse and what did they teach you?

One guy I owe a lot to is Jeff Fiorentino. I was a younger player in AAA and he had been up and down from the big leagues when we played together. We were close but one moment really changed me. I had become a bit of a hot head with a bad habit of taking my frustrations out on equipment, let's just say.

One day we were walking out to the field and he grabbed me around my neck in a loving headlock and said "Snyds, you're a hell of a baseball player. But do you want to know why you're never going to get called up?"

My knee jerk reaction was to pull away but that headlock became a little less loving so I asked him "Why Fio?" And he said "Because you act like a child when things don't go your way. When you do that not only does everyone else see it and not respect you but you're setting yourself on a negative course for the rest of the game. Is that what you want people to see? Is that what you want the opposing players to see?"

I couldn't even answer. I was so embarrassed but knew he was right. I made a decision that day that I was going to change. I refocused my frustrations and used the fuel as a driving force. As I got older I shared that story with younger guys and tried to lead by example.

I'll never forget that headlock.

You're coaching your 9-year-old son in Little League. What do you see parents doing that makes you cringe?

Parents that coach from the stands. The constant yelling and correcting for every single pitch and every single swing. When kids have that many voices in their head they can't focus on what they are doing. It also mutes the coaches voice from actually helping because they are hyper focused on their parents. I also think that parents either don't understand how hard baseball is or have forgotten and their expectations for their 8 and 9 year old are ridiculous.

Let the kids play and have fun.

Travel ball, showcases, private coaching at 8, 9, 10 before kids even know if they love the game. What does that do to a kid who should still just be falling in love with it?

In most cases it creates too much pressure way too early. Some kids with advanced hand eye and motor skills can handle some level of high end instruction but you have to be careful. If you try to mold them too much too early you take away their natural athleticism. Kids need to play at the speed they can handle. Pushing them to play at a high level prematurely can push them away from the game because of the lack of success.

What's the one thing parents think is helping their kid that is actually hurting them?

Playing baseball year round and not playing multiple sports. We get a lot of decent young baseball players but no athletes. I'd rather have an athletic 11 or 12 year old that's raw and willing to learn the right mechanics than a 9 year old with a perfect swing who is unathletic.

Playing multiple sports teaches you to move and move dynamically. That's something that's very hard to teach otherwise.

Which coach had the biggest impact on you and what did they do that you've never forgotten?

The best coaches were the ones that wanted you to succeed for you. When a coach doesn't have any skin in the game and isn't trying to put his stamp on you for his own benefit and it shows in how they coach. Kimera Bartee was one of those guys. He was a hitting coach in the minor leagues when I was with the Orioles and he always pushed me to be better. We had a great relationship because he was never afraid to tell me like it was and get on me when I was out of line. I loved him for that. I knew he always had my best interest at heart. Another was JJ Bolton, one of my first coaches as a kid. He worked at our baseball facility and always had time for me. He taught me to catch and always made it fun. He helped me fall in love with the game.

Both KB and JJ sadly passed away unexpectedly in the last few years. It crushed me to lose two mentors that helped mold me into the player I became. But it also gave me a lot of perspective on how I want to be as a coach. If my players care about me the way I cared about these men then I'm doing something right.

That's the legacy I want to leave behind.

How do you separate being his dad from being his coach and how do you keep the game fun while still pushing him?

My son and I have an agreement. I will never make him do anything baseball wise. But if he asks I'll always say yes and that comes with an understanding that we give our best effort and focus. If he wants to kick a soccer ball or throw a football we can do that too. But if we are taking ground balls we are going to do it the right way and have fun doing it.

The games will end. The lessons won't. What are you teaching your son and his teammates in that dugout that has nothing to do with baseball and everything to do with life?

Don't ever quit on yourself and most importantly on your teammates. Negativity and positivity are both contagious and we want to be the ones that raise others up, not put them down.

“At the end of the day the best thing we can do for our children is to let them enjoy the game of baseball for as long as we can. Make them understand the satisfaction of earning something from hard work. Take your feelings and expectations out of it and ask them about theirs. Have them voice their goals and give them the tools to achieve them. And when the game is over, take them for milkshakes and remind them you're proud of them for playing the hardest sport on the planet.”

The answer that stayed with me was the one about his son.

"My son and I have an agreement. I will never make him do anything baseball wise. But if he asks I'll always say yes."

For a moment, think about what it takes to get to that place. 17 years of pro ball. A first round draft pick. A World Series ring. A man who dedicated his entire life to this game and his approach with his own kid is to never push, never force, never make it about himself.

That’s someone who has it figured out. That's wisdom earned the hard way.

How many of us can say the same? How many times have we pushed when we should have been more patient? Corrected when we should have let it be? Made it about our expectations instead of their experience?

I check myself on this constantly. Because I know I can let things get away from me just like everyone else.

It's always running through my head. I ask my kids frequently if I'm too hard on them. If I'm expecting too much. I don't want to push them away but I want them to understand what it really takes. What discipline means. What sacrifice means. Far beyond sports.

Brandon reminded me of that. Brandon lived the dream. And the biggest thing he took from it is this, let it be their story. Their journey.

Take them for milkshakes. Tell them you're proud. The rest will take care of itself.

Help me keep more kids in the game. If you found this helpful, please forward it to another parent or coach.

Thanks for being here. See you next week Inside the Dugout.

-Coach Steve-

Steve Holmes
Founder, Inside the Dugout
2006 MLB Draft | All-American | Youth Coach | Dad