That’s how today’s top prospect morphs into tomorrow’s bust in the blink of an eye. It almost happened to Baltimore Orioles minor-leaguer Brandon Snyder.

The Centreville native dominated Northern Virginia high school baseball at Westfield High. He led the Bulldogs to the 2004 Group AAA state final and earned a scholarship to college baseball power Louisiana State.

The Orioles chose Snyder 13th overall in 2005 and he had early success at Rookie League-affiliate Bluefield (WVa.). But a serious left shoulder injury the following spring at low-A Delmarva derailed his 2006 season. What Snyder thought was a minor tweak lingered throughout the summer, caused his performance to nosedive and led to a demotion to short-season Aberdeen.

“I had never experienced any kind of injury or really any kind of failure like that,” said Snyder, 21, who had a torn labrum that ended his career at catcher. “And obviously when you have that much failure or you go through a season like that you start doubting yourself.”

Snyder had surgery that August, returned for spring training and rebounded nicely in 2007. But his numbers — .283 average, 11 home runs, 107 strikeouts — weren’t those of an elite prospect. Even after batting .378 in the Hawaiian Winter League, Snyder entered 2008 at a critical point in his career. Was he part of the future in Baltimore? Or would expectations have to be lowered?

“Obviously, [2006] was a disappointing year. And I knew I could do better than that,” Snyder said. “But I got to come back and show everybody this is not going to become a trend. This is who I am. This is what I’m going to be.”

After a slow start — his average was .218 on May 1 — Snyder began to fulfill that promise, batting .309 at Frederick with 43 extra-base hits, including 12 home runs entering weekend play. His strikeouts (72) are way down, though he still doesn’t draw many walks (26).

“[Snyder] can get ugly sometimes with breaking balls … and still needs a lot of work [defensively] at first base,” said Frederick manager Richie Hebner. “But to get to the higher level you’ve got to find a position somewhere.”

Snyder has spent the last two years at first base (139 games) or designated hitter (71 games). But the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder can only make himself a viable option at those spots for the Orioles if he hits well enough at Double-A Bowie in 2009. The challenges a prospect faces never end.

“I’m not going to be satisfied with stats. All that stuff doesn’t mean anything,” Snyder said. “At the same time, there will always be room for improvement. Every time I go up to the plate I’m making it as hard as I can on the opposing pitcher to get me out.”