No one was really sure what the Texas Rangers would do at first base with Mitch Moreland following Prince Fielder's lead and needing surgery. There were really no good in-house solutions, but the Rangers made a choice to bring up a career minor-leaguer who's had a nice year in Triple-A to give him a chance.
On Tuesday night, Brad Snyder made an impact in just his third professional start at first base and his first big-league game since 2011, when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Snyder, who was hitting .284 with 18 homers and 51 RBIs in Round Rock this year, had a nice night at the plate in his season debut on Tuesday and drove in two runs — on a single and a bases-loaded walk. He also scored the go-ahead run for the Rangers in the sixth with an aggressive bit of baserunning when he scored from second on an infield single from Rougned Odor.
"I'm staying aggressive," Snyder told reporters prior to Tuesday's game about his big year in Round Rock. "I made it a point, consciously this year, to try and hit more homers. Basically, being ready to hit anything in the zone. It's been a pretty successful approach. [Hitting] .300 with a handful of homers is OK, but I really wanted to set career-highs for myself this year. I wanted to increase my power numbers for sure."
Until further notice, or until Snyder forces the Rangers to give someone else a shot, it looks like he might be the Rangers' first baseman. Who would've thought?
