Snider ready for another AFL go-round

Last year, Travis Snider watched from the vantage point of an opposing player as the Phoenix Desert Dogs won their fourth consecutive Arizona Fall League championship.

This year, Snider will get try to help the Dogs make it a five-peat.

The gem of the Toronto Blue Jays farm system will return to the AFL for a second go-round, changing uniforms from the Scottsdale Scorpions to the Phoenix Desert Dogs when the 17th season of AFL play gets under way Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Snider, Toronto's top pick in 2006 out of high school in Washington State, led the list of top prospects who will be heading to the Valley of the Sun when the six rosters were announced Tuesday.

When Snider hit .311 for the Scottsdale Scorpions last fall, it was as a 19-year-old phenom coming off of an outstanding campaign at Class A Lansing, where he hit .313 with 16 homers and 93 RBIs in 118 games.

He was among the youngest players in the league and one of only a handful yet to play above the low-A level.

"I think it helped just being around other guys who had been at higher levels and had been exposed to the Major Leagues," Snider said. "As you move up, things are a little different in the sense that more guys have been around longer. At 19, you have to understand your place in the baseball world."

Snider believes his experience in the AFL in 2007 enabled him to make the adjustments needed to compete at the higher levels this year, as he combined between a brief start at Class A Advanced Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire and finally Triple-A Syracuse to hit .272 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs, including .333 with 14 RBIs in 15 games so far with the Chiefs.

He represented the host Fisher Cats in fine style during the Eastern League All-Star Game Home Run Derby, pulling out a decisive victory with 19 homers in the competition, including seven in the final round.

Now, a year later, some of his goals are a little different as he finds himself just one level away from the bigs.

"I've been fortunate enough to finish the season at Triple-A, and I've learned a lot this year going through some rough patches," he said. "So my goals are to continue to play hard every day and develop in the outfield and on the bases and just stick to my routine."

Rather than being ready to pack it in after a full season and head home, Snider can't wait to get back to Arizona.

"I'm excited because I had a great experience there last year and played with a lot of really good guys," he said. "The atmosphere there is second to none: nice complexes, good weather, relaxed baseball. You just go out every day and have fun."

He's also looking forward to playing for the now-legendary Desert Dogs.

"I'm aware of the success Phoenix has had in the recent past and obviously we'd love to keep that streak going," he said. "But the fall league is really about developing as a player. But every time you step on that field, you want to win a championship."