The San Francisco Giants handed reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell a two-year, $62 million contract towards the end of spring training, which means the lefty didn't actually get to face big league hitters in Cactus League action.
Snell and Jordan Montgomery, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, both didn't pitch in spring training. It's hurt the two southpaws immensely, too.
When it comes to Snell, he currently owns a 7.85 ERA and 0-3 record in seven starts in 2024. But, Tuesday night marked a possible turnaround for the Seattle, Washington native. Snell tossed five innings against the Toronto Blue Jays and didn't allow a single run, striking out three and surrendering just one hit.
Following the outing, Snell spoke about how he felt and believes the best is yet to come. Via NBC Sports Bay Area:
“Just to find a rhythm, trust my stuff, trust my body, yeah I felt a lot better,” Snell said. “There was just more confidence knowing that I'm able to repeat [my mechanics]. It was a good feeling.
“I still think I can be better,” he said. “I still think there's a lot to chase.”
Snell was on a 75-pitch limit after missing time due to a groin strain or else he probably would've stayed in longer.
Giants hoping for best version of Blake Snell
While he's been up and down at times, Snell is one of the best pitchers in the sport, especially when it comes to left-handers. This is a guy coming off a Cy Young award with the San Diego Padres, posting a 2.25 ERA. The talent is there.
Tuesday's start was something to build on for Snell and will give him confidence moving forward. Giants skipper Bob Melvin was also impressed with what he saw:
“He had all his pitches working,” Melvin said. “A lot of times the slider is the last thing to show up for him, but he was throwing changeups and curveballs and spotting his fastball. You know, this is the first time he really felt good when he went out there. He had the proper amount of rehab games and just felt really comfortable with where he was after his last outing.”
Snell happened to also throw his hardest pitch of the campaign — a 97.7 mph fastball. His average heater is 95.5 this year, which is the same as 2023. It simply comes down to just locating better and getting more of a feel for his off-speed stuff.
Prior to the start, San Francisco president Farhan Zaidi didn't sound too worried about the early output and clearly believes Snell will come around and be dominant:
“The performance up at the big league level, the ERA and things like that, I just don't think are at all indicative of what we will get and what we're expecting to get from him going forward,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said before the game.
The Giants sit at 45-47 and haven't been thriving on the mound with a team ERA of 4.42. That's 24th in the Majors. The best version of Blake Snell will undoubtedly help them in their pursuit of an NL Wild Card spot.
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