D. J. Snelten

Snelten attended Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, Illinois.^[1] He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 30th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at the University of Minnesota.^[2] In 2011, he briefly played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[3]

Snelten was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round (282nd overall) of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.^[4] Snelten signed and spent 2013 with the rookie-level Arizona League Giants, going 3–1 with a 1.57 ERA in 34+1⁄3 innings.

Snelten spent 2014 with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Augusta Greenjackets, posting a combined 4–1 record and 2.56 ERA in 29 relief appearances, and 2015 with the San Jose Giants and Augusta, pitching to a combined 5–11 record and 3.44 ERA in 23 total starts between the two teams. In 2016, he pitched for San Jose, going 4–7 with a 4.11 ERA in 31 games (13 starts), and in 2017, he played for the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Sacramento River Cats where he went 8–1 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 51 appearances out of the bullpen.^[5] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League.^[6]

On November 20, 2017, the Giants added Snelten to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.^[7] Snelten began 2018 with Sacramento. On April 28, 2018, the Giants called up Snelten ahead of a doubleheader, and he made his major league debut in the second game.^[8] He was optioned back to Sacramento on May 8 and designated for assignment following the promotion of Dereck Rodríguez on May 28.^[9]

On June 4, 2018, Snelten was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.^[10] On June 15, he was designated for assignment by Baltimore following the promotion of Corban Joseph.^[11] The next day, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Norfolk Tides.^[12] In 22 games for Norfolk, Snelten recorded a 5.52 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 29+1⁄3 innings pitched. On March 25, 2019, Snelten was released by the Orioles organization.^[13]

On April 15, 2019, Snelten signed with the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association. Snelten made 20 starts for the Dogs, compiling a 7-3 record and 3.12 ERA with 112 strikeouts across 118+1⁄3 innings pitched.

On December 29, 2019, Snelten signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, getting exposure after throwing 99 mph in viral videos seen on Rob Friedman's FlatGround Twitter account.^[14][15] Snelten did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16] He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.^[17]

On November 19, 2020, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. However, he did not appear in a game for the organization during the 2021 or 2022 seasons.

On August 5, 2022, Snelten signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees.^[18] He did not appear in a game for the Yankees organization in 2022.

In 2023, Snelten played in 30 games for the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, struggling to a 7.50 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 2 saves in 36.0 innings of work. On July 24, 2023, Snelten was released by New York.^[19]

On July 31, 2023, Snelten signed with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.^[20] In 14 games for the Dogs, Snelten pitched to a 3.33 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 24+1⁄3 innings of work. In September 2023, Snelten was loaned to the AAPB's Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to participate in the 2023 Baseball Champions League Americas, which the RedHawks won.^[21]

On December 12, 2023, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels.^[22] However, on April 10, 2024, Snelten signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League.^[23] In 15 games for Monterrey, he recorded a 5.23 ERA with 15 strikeouts across 10+1⁄3 innings pitched. Snelten was released by the Sultanes on June 3.^[24]

On June 15, 2024, Snelten signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League.^[25] In 10 relief appearances, he posted a 3.24 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 8+1⁄3 innings. Snelten was released by Oaxaca on July 5.^[26]

On January 16, 2025, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.^[27] He did not make an appearance for the organization before he was released on May 16.^[28]

On December 23, 2025, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.^[29] Snelten was released by San Diego prior to the start of the regular season on March 24, 2026.^[30]

• Career statistics from MLB  · Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet  · Baseball Almanac