ATLANTA (AP) — Paul Snyder, the behind-the-scenes architect of the Atlanta Braves' rise to prominence in the 1990s, has died, the team announced Friday. He was 88.
Snyder died Thursday night. No cause was given by the Braves.
Joining the Atlanta front office in the 1970s, Snyder played a key role in a scouting department that first spotted many of Atlanta's future stars, including Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones.
Those players and others scouted by Snyder took lead roles on Atlanta teams that won a record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, highlighted by a World Series championship in 1995.
“Paul Snyder was a true baseball man,” the team said in a statement posted to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “In a career that spanned 50 years, all with the Braves, Paul held just about every role there is in the game. Player. Manager. Executive. But it was his talent to find, identify and develop baseball talent that made him so special, and he used that ability to help turn the Braves into a perennial powerhouse over such an illustrious career.”
Snyder spent his entire career with the Braves, joining the organization in 1957 as a minor league player when the franchise was still based in Milwaukee. He also managed in the minors before moving to Atlanta's front office in 1972.
He served in a variety of roles for the Braves, including director of scouting, assistant to the general manager and director of player development. Snyder twice rejoined the organization after retiring before he finally stepped away for good in 2012.
Snyder's stature within the organization was so revered that he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2005.
“He helped develop Dale Murphy. He recommended Chipper Jones,” the Braves said. “The list of accomplishments goes on and on. But it's not just his baseball acumen that is missed today. Paul had a vibrant personality and generous nature that were second to none.”
Snyder was survived by his wife, Petie, two children, and numerous grandchildren.
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The Associated Press
