Duke Snider
The Duke of Flatbush
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (September 19, 1926 – February 27, 2011), nicknamed "the Duke of Flatbush", was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers (1947–1962), later playing one season each for the New York Mets (1963) and San Francisco Giants (1964). Snider was named to the National League (NL) All-Star roster eight times and was the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) runner-up in 1955. In his 16 seasons with the Dodgers, he helped lead the team to six World Series, with victories in 1955 and 1959. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Center fielder
- Bats
- Left
- Throws
- Right
- Born
- 19 September 1926
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 27 February 2011
- Place of death
- Escondido, California, U.S.
- Debut league
- MLB
Facts from the source article.
Background
Snider was born in Los Angeles. He was nicknamed "Duke" by his father at age 5 as the result of a self-confident swagger. He played basketball, football, and baseball at Compton High School, class of 1944. He was signed to a baseball contract out of high school in 1943.
He served in the U.S. Navy in 1945 and part of 1946. He earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers during spring training in 1947. He got a single in his first major league at bat on April 17, 1947. He became a regular major leaguer in 1949.
He hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons (1953–1957). He appeared in six World Series with the Dodgers (1949, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1959). The Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 and 1959. Snider finished second to teammate Roy Campanella in the 1955 MVP balloting, trailing by five points, 226–221, with each man receiving eight first-place votes.
Snider won the Sporting News National League Player of the Year Award for 1955, and the Sid Mercer Award. He retired at the end of the 1964 season.
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