Snell says he’s not back at MLB capacity, and that he’s feeling pressured by the team to come back anyway.
Good morning, baseball fans!
With so much attention on Monday night’s San Francisco Giants game in which the organization honored the life of Willie Mays at their first home game since his passing (as well as the silly way in which they won their first game in a calendar week), it’s possible you might have missed some comments from Blake Snell earlier this week.
Snell was easily the biggest free agent signing by the team this offseason, coming off of his second career Cy Young Award-winning season. However, due to the date at which he was finally signed, he did not get a spring training. His starts for the team this season have been both painful to watch and painful to live, as they have been interspersed with multiple injuries. It’s hard to say how much of that is bad luck (see the 9.51 ERA vs. the 4.63 FIP) or lack of proper ramp-up time.
At the same time, it’s also true that the Giants are in a really bad position with regards to the starting rotation. As it stands right now, the rotation consists of Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks, and a dart board with pictures of the bullpen on it. When the season started, it seemed as though by now the team would looking ahead to almost an abundance of starting pitcher depth, with Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray both expected to return roughly around the All Star break.
Now, though, due to multiple simultaneous injuries, the pressure is on. At least according to Snell, who claims that the organization is rushing him back, telling the Athletic:
“I haven’t felt like me yet. It’s ‘All right, c’mon, we need you, we need you, we need you.’ It’s not like, ‘Let’s get him right.’ And then I have to deal with it.”
He states clearly that he is not ready to be back at the MLB level. That is pretty self-evident. His rehab start for Sacramento on Sunday saw him allowing two runs on three hits with three walks. At the same time recording zero strikeouts and only recording five outs in 51 pitches.
I can’t help but feel like some of that pressure Snell is feeling is internal. Given his contract and the expectations he likely (and probably not wrongly) feels that people have for him, as well as the obvious state of the team at the moment. That would make anyone feel internal pressure to get back before they’re ready.
So I’d like to believe there’s no one in the organization calling him for hourly updates about his groin injury or the state of his curveball. And I’d like to believe there is no one in the organization making him feel guilty for taking the time he needs to get back to full capacity. But given the world we live in, who really knows.
It’s not a good position for either side to be in. But in my opinion, the smart move is to have patience and give him time. It’s terrible timing in the here and now, of course. But over the course of the rest of the season and next year, it seems like the better long-term investment.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants and Chicago Cubs continue their four-game series tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.