Rays' top prospect Snell to face Yankees on Sat.
The Year of the Prospect was 2015, with an amazing influx of rookie talent, but that doesn’t mean the well is dry. We’ve already seen some impact from the likes of Nomar Mazara (Rangers), Trevor Story (Rockies) and Tyler White (Astros). Next up: Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell. He’ll get the ball Saturday against the Yankees, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Snell, a lanky 6-foot-4 southpaw, was 6-2 with a 1.83 ERA in Triple-A Durham last season after dominating Double-A. This year in Triple-A, he was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
Prior to this season, Snell was ranked as the 12th-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. Among left-handed pitchers, the outlet named him as the “lowest risk” of the group, saying the following:
There is nothing left for Snell to do in the minors. He’s dominated four full-season levels. If you’re looking for flaws, his control has been an issue at times, but as the strike zones have gotten smaller and umpires have gotten better Snell’s walk rate has plummeted. He’s a lefty with plus velocity and an ability to stay a pitch ahead.
Here’s Snell in action from spring training:
The Rays are 7-8 and have gotten good starting pitching from Matt Moore and Drew Smyly. Jake Odorizzi was great for his first three starts but bad last time out. Chris Archer has surprisingly been bad (R.J. Anderson took a look at this matter Thursday). Otherwise Erasmo Ramirez made a spot start but has been excellent in the bullpen, so Snell has a shot to stick in the rotation moving forward, and that is surely the plan.
Blake Snell (l) back in the spring. (USATSI)
