Amateur Snelten attended
Lakes Community High School in
Lake Villa, Illinois. 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. In 2011, he briefly played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Cotuit Kettleers of the
Cape Cod Baseball League.
San Francisco Giants Snelten was drafted by the
San Francisco Giants in the ninth round (282nd overall) of the
2013 Major League Baseball draft. Snelten signed and spent 2013 with the rookie-level
Arizona League Giants, going 3–1 with a 1.57 ERA in 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. After the season, he played in the
Arizona Fall League. On November 20, 2017, the Giants added Snelten to their
40-man roster to protect him from the
Rule 5 draft. 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. He was optioned back to Sacramento on May 8 and
designated for assignment following the promotion of
Dereck Rodríguez on May 28.
Baltimore Orioles On June 4, 2018, Snelten was claimed off waivers by the
Baltimore Orioles. On June 15, he was
designated for assignment by Baltimore following the promotion of
Corban Joseph. The next day, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A
Norfolk Tides. In 22 games for Norfolk, Snelten recorded a 5.52 ERA with 30 strikeouts across innings pitched. On March 25, 2019, Snelten was released by the Orioles organization.
Chicago Dogs 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 innings pitched.
Tampa Bay Rays 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. Snelten did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.
Chicago Cubs 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.
New York Yankees On August 5, 2022, Snelten signed a minor league deal with the
New York Yankees. 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.
Chicago Dogs (second stint) On July 31, 2023, Snelten signed with the
Chicago Dogs of the
American Association of Professional Baseball. In 14 games for the Dogs, Snelten pitched to a 3.33 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 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.
Sultanes de Monterrey On December 12, 2023, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Angels. However, on April 10, 2024, Snelten signed with the
Sultanes de Monterrey of the
Mexican League. In 15 games for Monterrey, he recorded a 5.23 ERA with 15 strikeouts across innings pitched. Snelten was released by the Sultanes on June 3.
Guerreros de Oaxaca On June 15, 2024, Snelten signed with the
Guerreros de Oaxaca of the
Mexican League. In 10 relief appearances, he posted a 3.24 ERA and 12 strikeouts over innings. Snelten was released by Oaxaca on July 5.
Chicago White Sox On January 16, 2025, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago White Sox. He did not make an appearance for the organization before he was released on May 16.
San Diego Padres On December 23, 2025, Snelten signed a minor league contract with the
San Diego Padres. Snelten was released by San Diego prior to the start of the regular season on March 24, 2026. ==References==