Seattle Times: Stone: Mill Creek’s Travis Snider grows up fast in life and baseball

Travis Snider: More Duke. Less Bickle.

But when Jays officials rave about Snider’s maturity and presence, as they did, eagerly, on Tuesday, they are speaking about far more than his accelerated baseball progress.

“As far as the physical attributes, he’s going to be a very good hitter,” said Blue Jays general manger J.P. Ricciardi. “But it’s really the mental stuff that separates Travis. He’s been through some tough things. You talk about a young kid that gets it — he gets it.”

...Travis began having anger issues, and underwent anger-management counseling. And after his mother died, he has availed himself of counseling offered by the Blue Jays through their employee assistance program.

“Not to say I have a mental problem, but I’ve struggled with anger-management problems since I was a kid,” he said. “What I’ve gone through has only caused more emotion, and more things bottled up inside of me.

“I’ve learned to curb those into as much positive as possible. I still have my moments, and I’m going to continue to have those moments. But when it comes to just baseball and everyday life, I feel like, even with what I’ve gone through in the last couple of years, losing a lot of people, I’m at the point right now where I’m the happiest and most content, not only career-wise, but the person I am.”