Troy Snitker Had Plenty of Success in Houston

On Monday, Troy Snitker was hired as a Mets’ hitting coach. He will be part of the hitting staff and report to Jeff Albert, the new director of hitting for the major league team. Troy Snitker is the son of former Braves manager Brian Snitker, and has been part of the Astros’ coaching staff since 2019. The Astros were his first job in MLB. In fact, he succeeded Jeff Albert on the coaching staff in Houston, and they worked together in the Astros’ minor league system. With Alex Cintron and Snitker, the Astros experienced tremendous offensive success, making three World Series appearances and winning the 2022 World Series.

From 2019 to 2025, the Astros ranked fifth in home runs and had the lowest strikeout rate in the sport. The combination of power and discipline helped the Astros rank second in wRC+ over that span and third in offensive WAR. Beyond the power and discipline, the Astros succeeded because they were elite with runners in scoring position (RISP). They ranked 11th in walk rate (BB%), had the lowest K%, ranked third in batting average, third in home runs, second in OPS and second in wRC+.

When digging into what made the Astros so successful, two things stand out. First, they had the fifth lowest ground-ball (GB) rate from 2019-2025. Their offensive staff preached getting the ball in the air, and during Snitker’s tenure, they ranked eighth in average launch angle. In addition to preaching hitting the ball in the air, the staff also stressed the importance of pulling the ball. During his time in Houston, the Astros were second in MLB in pulled-ball percentage and ranked last in opposite-field percentage.

In contrast, the Mets in 2025 had the eighth-lowest fly-ball rate in MLB and the ninth-lowest pull percentage. Despite those numbers, the Mets put up gaudy expected stats in 2025 (second in xBA, second in exit velocity, third in barrel rate, second in xSLG and second in xwOBA). Therefore, keeping much of the philosophy while introducing a different approach with runners on could help smooth out the peaks and valleys the Mets’ offense experienced, specifically with RISP.

The Mets had a 19.7% strikeout rate with RISP and a 22.4% strikeout rate with the bases empty. Perhaps the Astros’ aggressive approach with RISP is an area Snitker will emphasize. It is important to note that the Mets had the third-highest wRC+ with RISP (121) and fourth overall at 112. Additionally, the three teams ahead of them are the Mariners, Yankees and Dodgers, and the Mets were tied with the Blue Jays.

The goal for the Mets’ hitting apparatus is to better sequence production throughout the season. The peaks of the Mets’ offense (August) league‐leading 143 wRC+ and a .316 BABIP, are great in a vacuum, but the Mets went 11-17 because, despite that historic offensive output, the team could not get anyone out. To drive this point home, the Mets had a combined 98 wRC+ in July and September, but sandwiched in between was their historic August. Had the offensive production been more consistent throughout the second half of the season, there is a strong possibility the team would have made the playoffs even with all of the pitching woes.

In contrast, the Astros’ offense from 2019-2024 had just three months of team production below 100 wRC+ and zero months with a WRC+ as high as 143, despite being second in MLB in WRC+ over those five full seasons. 

Ultimately, the players are the ones who will determine how successful the Mets are, but having someone who has been a part of a consistently good offense, especially with RISP, is a welcome addition to the organization.

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