Blake Snell, Starting Pitcher, San Diego Padres
Date of Birth: 12/4/1992
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington
Nickname: Snellzilla
Blake Snell, starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He was a starting pitcher in their minor league system from 2011 through 2015.
Snell pitched in 19 games from the Rays' starting rotation in 2016. He finished the season with 6 wins and 8 losses, 98 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a 3.54 ERA in 89.0 innings.
Snell pitched in 24 games with the Rays in 2017. He finished the season with 5 wins and 7 losses, 119 strikeouts to 59 walks, and a 4.04 ERA in 129.1 innings.
In 2018, Snell had the second lowest ERA in MLB with 1.89. He had 21 wins and 5 losses and 221 strikeouts to 64 walks in 180.2 innings. Those numbers earned him his first AL Cy Young award and the Warren Spahn award.
Snell signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension with the Rays on March 21, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a fractured toe and with a left elbow injury. He finished the season with 6 wins and 8 losses, 147 strikeouts to 40 walks, and a 4.29 ERA in 107.0 innings in 23 games. In the postseason, he pitched 5.1 innings in 3 games, and he gave up 4 hits, 1 home run, and 1 run. He struck out 7 batters and walked none, and he had a 1.69 ERA.
Snell spent part of the shortened 2020 season on the IL. He finished the season with 4 wins and 2 losses, 63 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a 3.24 ERA in 50.0 innings in 11 games. In the postseason, he had a 3.03 ERA in 29.2 innings in 6 games. He gave up 20 hits and 10 runs.
The Rays traded Snell to the Padres on December 29, 2020. He spent time on the IL in 2021. He finished the season with 7 wins and 6 losses, 70 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a 4.20 ERA in 128.2 innings in 27 games.
Career pitching statistics for Snell through 2021 include:
- 135 games played
- 684.2 innings pitched
- 49-36 win-loss record
- 818 strikeouts to 301 walks
- 3.42 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Blake Snell
ESPN - Blake Snell