Blake Snell

Position: LHP
Born: 12/4/1992
Height: 6'4
Weight: 180
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the supplemental first round (52nd overall) of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (TAM)

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Durham, striking out 21 while walking seven in 14.1 IP.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Durham (Triple-A) April 23 when P Danny Farquhar was sent down.
MLB Debut Date: 4/23/2016

Debut Details
April 23, in a 3-2 loss to the Yankees. The starting pitcher, Snell did not get a decision despite an outstanding debut in which he allowed one run on two hits over five innings, walking one and striking out six. The lone run scored on a wild pitch in the first inning. After getting Jacoby Ellsbury and fly out and Brett Gardner to pop out to open the frame, Snell gave up a walk to Carlos Beltran and a single to Mark Teixeira, after which he uncorked a wild pitch with Alex Rodriguez at bat, allowing Beltran to score. Rodriguez then flew out to end the threat and Snell rebounded in the second inning to strike out the side. On the night, Snell’s two wild pitches were pretty much the only signs of rookie nerves as he threw 90 pitches, 53 for strikes.

Player Notes
Despite his fine outing, Snell – as planned – returned to Durham after his spot start and certainly had just about the best view a 23-year-old could have of Yankee Stadium. Baseball America’s 2015 Minor League Player of the Year, he combined at three stops (High A Charlotte, Double-A Montgomery and Durham) to go 15-4 with a minor league-leading 1.41 ERA and .182 BAA, striking out 163 batters in 134 IP while allowing 84 hits and walking 53. Snell really got on the map when he opened his season with a remarkable string of 49 straight scoreless innings, earning the promotion from Charlotte to Montgomery after 21 of those blank frames. With the Biscuits, he was 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA in 12 starts, and finished up going 6-2 with a 1.83 ERA in nine starts for the Bulls. He brought a .219 BAA into 2016, and while he’s back in the International League for now, his imminent, and probably permanent, return promises even more firepower to an impressive young rotation on the Gulf Coast.

2080 Notes
nell ranked lucky No. 13 in 2080 Baseball’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Ranking List, where C.J. Wittmann noted that “Snell burst onto the scene with an impressive and torrid march through the Rays’ minor league system. With three plus-potential pitches, he will make a serious case for getting major league innings in 2016.”