Pop Snyder

Note: Charlie Snyder redirects here; for catcher Charles Snyder who played in 1890, click here.

Charles N. Snyder
(Charlie)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 184 lb.

• Debut June 16, 1873
• Final Game July 4, 1891
• Born October 6, 1854 in Washington, DC USA
• Died October 29, 1924 in Washington, DC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Pop Snyder was a brilliant defensive catcher . . ." - from The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

Charles "Pop" Snyder had an extremely long baseball career, especially given that he was a 19th Century catcher. He played 18 years in the majors between 1873 and 1891.

Snyder was born in Washington, D.C. in 1854. Joe Gerhardt, another player whose career ran from 1873 to 1891, was also born in Washington, D.C. a few months later. Gerhardt and Snyder were both 18-year-old rookies on the 1873 Washington Blue Legs of the National Association.

After the National Association folded, Snyder played in the National League for a few years, but moved to the American Association in 1882, the first year of its existence.

At age 33, in 1890, he played with the Cleveland entry in the American Association but then moved to the Cleveland entry in the Players League and after that in 1891 to the Cleveland entry in the National League. He finished out his major league career back with a Washington team, the 1891 Washington Statesmen, in the last year of the American Association.

Snyder was primarily a catcher, appearing in 877 games at the position during an era when catchers took a beating due to lack of protective equipment. By the time 1891 came around, he was the oldest player in the American Association - although not as old as either Cap Anson or Jim O'Rourke, who were still playing in the National League.

Snyder managed four seasons, winning the pennant as player-manager with the 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings. He then became an umpire. He had worked one game in the National Association in 1875 and another in the American Association in 1886, before being hired as a regular umpire in the Players League in 1890. After that, he went back to the American Association in 1891, and then was in the National League most seasons between 1892 and 1901. In total, he umpired 390 games, quite a high total for the period.

The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract mentions an occasion when Snyder returned a contract which the Reds had offered him, saying that the Reds should take some off of his contract and give it to another teammate who Snyder felt was underpaid. The Reds agreed and Snyder played for a bit less than the team had originally offered.

Preceded by N/A

Cincinnati Red Stockings Manager 1882-1884

Succeeded by Will White

Records Held

• Errors, catcher, career, 679

Related Sites

• Pop Snyder at the SABR Bio Project
• Pop Snyder at Retrosheet.org

This manager's article is missing a managerial chart. To make this person's article more complete, one should be added.