Tag Archives: Blake Snell

Well, that didn’t take long.

Blake Snell was sent down to the Durham Bulls near the end of Spring Training, but the Tampa Bay Rays’ No. 1 prospect is already getting the call to the majors, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

The 23-year-old southpaw has dominated yet again at the Triple-A level, going 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA, 21 strikeouts and seven walks in 14 1/3 innings during his first three starts with the Bulls. That comes just a year after he was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today last season.

“I don’t see him repeating as Minor League Player of the Year again because he won’t be there long,” Baseball America editor John Manuel said. “I see him being too good for the Rays to ignore. Obviously we’re pretty high on him and can see him developing even further this year.

“The Rays have always been deliberate and slow-moving with their promotion of pitchers, but it seems to work.”

Snell has more than earned the call, but it might not be permanent. The Rays are currently in the midst of a nine-game stretch in consecutive days and have a need for a fifth starter. Erasmo Ramirez, normally fifth in the rotation, was used in relief Thursday against the Boston Red Sox.

Saturday will be a huge spot start for Snell, who will face the New York Yankees in New York. Oh, and the probable pitcher opposing him will be Masahiro Tanaka.

No pressure, right? Snell doesn’t seem nervous about the spot start.

“Can’t have dreamed of a better way,” Snell told Topkin. “It’s really such an amazing time for me. And I’m really fortunate to be in this situation.”

 

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DURHAM, N.C. – Blake Snell didn’t change anything on the mound this offseason. But the Tampa Bay Rays top prospect is always looking to improve, so he let go of something he holds near and dear in order to get better.

“Ice cream. I love it to death, so RIP to that,” Snell said with a smile. “I’m obsessed, so it kind of sucks.”

Snell’s true love is of the cookies-and-cream variety. It’s hard to imagine the Bulls’ ace getting better because of just dessert — he’s coming off a season where he finished 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA. It’s the lowest ERA of any MiLB pitcher since Justin Verlander in 2005 (1.29).

Snell won both the Baseball America and USA Today Minor League Player of the Year honors last year; the last player in the Rays’ system to do so was Wil Myers in 2012, who won MLB Rookie of the Year the following season.

The wiry 23-year-old southpaw could get a decent look at his own top-tier hardware this . After rocketing up from Charlotte to Montgomery to Durham last season, Baseball America editor John Manuel believes he’ll land with the Rays very soon.

“I don’t see him repeating as Minor League Player of the Year again because he won’t be there long,” Manuel said. “I see him being too good for the Rays to ignore. Obviously we’re pretty high on him and can see him developing even further this year.

“The Rays have always been deliberate and slow-moving with their promotion of pitchers, but it seems to work.”

The list of Bulls’ pitchers to excel at the MLB level is distinguished. David Price is a five-time All-Star and 2012 Cy Young Award winner. Chris Archer was named an All-Star last season and is quickly emerging as one of the faces of the MLB.

Snell followed a nearly identical path as the previous two superstars. Both Price and Archer were gradually brought up through the system to maximize both development and Tampa’s control over their contracts.

“I feel like I’m still developing, getting better and have a lot to learn,” Snell said. “I’m just taking all the positives that I can. I feel like it’s good for me to start here and really develop my craft even more. When they think I’m ready, I’ll be ready for it.”

The Bulls second-year manager Jared Sandberg knows the time is coming for Snell, but knows the process is not a quick one.

“He’s got some high expectations this year,” Sandberg said. “He’s more mature this year. Mentally, he knows he’s got to do it again, but he’s not going to put too much pressure on himself to go out there and try to replicate that season in one or two starts.

“He’s a bright star. It’s amazing what he did and hopefully he can duplicate that or do better this year.”

The Bulls’ lineup also presents a major issue for opposing pitchers with both Mikie Mahtook and Richie Shaffer back in Durham. Mahtook played in 41 games in Tampa Bay last season, hitting .295/.351/.619 with nine homers and is likely an injury at the MLB level away from another stint.

Shaffer’s cup of coffee with the Rays didn’t go quite as well. In 88 plate appearances, Shaffer hit .189/.307/.392 with four homers, six RBI and 32 strikeouts. The Charlotte native bought a house in Raleigh during the offseason and trained at NC State to improve his plate approach.

“I think he just needs to maintain confidence,” Sandberg said. “He hit 30 homers and had extended success for the first time in his career. He goes into the offseason and works on what he was able to do last year. He had a good Spring Training and is looking forward to getting off to a good start.”

In total, Shaffer actually hit 26 home runs last year with 72 RBI across Montgomery, Durham and Tampa Bay. The Clemson product also had the highest overall average of his career at .267 after hitting just .222 in the previous season.

Though the numbers have improved, becoming a starting third baseman in Tampa Bay isn’t exactly easy to pull off, with three-time All-Star (and Bulls alum) Evan Longoria manning the position.

Luckily for Shaffer, his versatility could earn him a role on the Rays’ roster again this year. The release of first baseman James Loney – which happens to be Shaffer’s alternate position – leaves a void currently filled by Logan Morrison, who hit .225 last season.

“There’s a spot on the roster, but he still has something to prove,” Manuel said. “I think the valuation question remains: How much contact is he going to make? He’s shown he can hit for power, but he has to be more consistent at that level. Triple-A pitchers are good, but MLB pitchers are so much better.

Although the roster shakeups might pique his curiosity about carving out a starting role at the MLB level, Shaffer isn’t getting his hopes up. Playing both first and third baseman along with getting some starts in the outfield, Shaffer is a versatile chip similar to Ben Zobrist, who played for the Rays from 2006-14.

While Shaffer said his goal is obviously to get to Tampa Bay, he isn’t focusing on where he might fit with the squad.

“At the big-league level, they don’t have much versatility in the lineup, but they want it,” Shaffer said. “It’s tough, because we’re human and you pay attention to roster moves. But If you let that stuff dictate what you do, you’re going to press or feel like you have to do too much.

“My goal is to come out like I did last year and have fun. I was able to achieve my goals in 2015 with that mindset and hope the same will happen this year.”