Snodgrass was originally a catcher when he joined the New York Giants in 1908 at twenty years old.
He made his major league debut on June 4, and collected his first major league hit and run batted in off the St. Louis Cardinals' Slim Sallee.

With Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan manning catching duties for manager John McGraw, Snodgrass saw very little action.
On December 12, 1908, the Giants traded Bresnahan to the St. Louis Cardinals for Red Murray, Bugs Raymond and Admiral Schlei.
Snodgrass appeared in his first two games of 1909 behind the plate (hitting his first career home run off Jake Boultes in his second game), but Schlei and rookie Chief Meyers would share catching duties in 1909, with Snodgrass shifting to the outfield.

Snodgrass began to emerged as a star in 1910, finishing fourth in the National League with a career high .321 batting average his first full season with the Giants.
In 1911, his average dipped to .294, however, he drove in a career best 77 runs.
He also stole 51 of the 347 bases McGraw's Giants stole that season.
Along with Fred Merkle and Larry Doyle, Snodgrass formed a core of sluggers behind aces Christy Mathewson and Rube Marquard that led the Giants to three straight pennants from 1911 to 1913.

Snodgrass' regular season success did not translate to success on the World Series, however.
Philadelphia Athletics catcher Ira Thomas caught the usually speedy runner stealing twice in the first game.
Jack Coombs, who led the American League with 28 wins, along with Hall of Famers Eddie Plank & Chief Bender, held Snodgrass to just two hits and seven strikeouts in nineteen at bats over the course of the Giants' six game loss to the A's in the 1911 World Series.
Snodgrass was originally a catcher when he joined the New York Giants in 1908 at twenty years old. He made his major league debut on June 4, and collected his first major league hit and run batted in off the St. Louis Cardinals' Slim Sallee.
With Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan manning catching duties for manager John McGraw, Snodgrass saw very little action. On December 12, 1908, the Giants traded Bresnahan to the St. Louis Cardinals for Red Murray, Bugs Raymond and Admiral Schlei. Snodgrass appeared in his first two games of 1909 behind the plate (hitting his first career home run off Jake Boultes in his second game), but Schlei and rookie Chief Meyers would share catching duties in 1909, with Snodgrass shifting to the outfield.
Snodgrass began to emerged as a star in 1910, finishing fourth in the National League with a career high .321 batting average his first full season with the Giants. In 1911, his average dipped to .294, however, he drove in a career best 77 runs. He also stole 51 of the 347 bases McGraw's Giants stole that season. Along with Fred Merkle and Larry Doyle, Snodgrass formed a core of sluggers behind aces Christy Mathewson and Rube Marquard that led the Giants to three straight pennants from 1911 to 1913.
Snodgrass' regular season success did not translate to success on the World Series, however. Philadelphia Athletics catcher Ira Thomas caught the usually speedy runner stealing twice in the first game. Jack Coombs, who led the American League with 28 wins, along with Hall of Famers Eddie Plank & Chief Bender, held Snodgrass to just two hits and seven strikeouts in nineteen at bats over the course of the Giants' six game loss to the A's in the 1911 World Series.
Fred Snodgrass