Wally Snell | |||
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Catcher | |||
Born: West Bridgewater, Massachusetts |
May 19, 1889|||
Died: July 23, 1980 Providence, Rhode Island |
(aged 91)|||
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MLB debut | |||
August 1, 1913, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
October 4, 1913, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .250 | ||
Home runs | 0 | ||
Runs batted in | 0 | ||
Teams | |||
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Walter Henry "Doc" Snell (May 19, 1889 – July 23, 1980) was a pinch-hitter/catcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the 1913 season. Following this brief baseball career he became a successful mycologist who worked primarily at Brown University for the next 60 years.
Snell was a college three-sport athlete turned scientist. Besides baseball, he played football and basketball at Brockton High School, graduating in 1907. He then attended Phillips Andover Academy for two years, graduating in 1909, before enrolling at Brown University.
At Brown, Snell was both a scholar and an athlete, as a Phi Beta Kappa in academics and a catcher for four years on the varsity baseball team under coach Harry Pattee. In 1913, he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack, but broke his hand in a game at Brown and was dealt to the Red Sox.
In a six-game career, Snell was a .250 hitter (3-for-12) with one run and one stolen base without RBI or home runs. In two catching appearances, he committed one error in 13 chances accepted for a .923 fielding percentage. Snell hit a single in his first major league at bat off Cleveland Naps pitcher Nick Cullop on August 1, 1913. He was one of five catchers the Red Sox used during the 1913 season.