Giants’ Blake Snell drops defiant take on minors after disastrous start

The San Francisco Giants made one of the biggest signings of the offseason just before the start of the regular season by adding 2023 National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, and he has not gotten off to a great start after immediately joining the starting rotation despite very limited time in spring training with the team. Blake Snell talked about what his options were coming into the season with the Giants.

“It was definitely an option, but I don’t think I needed it,” Snell said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I still don’t think I need it. I’ve just got to get better with sequencing. The stuff is there, so it’s all sequencing and pitching like I know I can. Once I start doing that, then the what-ifs and all that will fade.”

In three games so far this season, Snell has posted a 11.57 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched, according to Baseball Reference. The Giants were hoping for much better than that, and there has been some questioning about whether it was wise to not give Snell more time to work up to pitching in the big leagues this season. He reportedly was throwing independently before signing his contract. Still, it is hard to replicate facing hitters in a real game. He is on a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants that includes an opt-out after this season, so he was hoping to have another strong year to have a good market to potentially get a long-term deal next offseason.

Still, Snell is confident that he will regain his form as he settles in this season.

“The more I get in the zone, the more I have better sequencing and understanding hitters, then the outcomes will be better,” Snell said, via Nightengale. “In a month, two months from now, we’ll be talking about other things.”

The other late signing the Giants made, Matt Chapman, is off to a bit of a slow start as well. Hopefully for the team, Snell and Matt Chapman can get going soon to help the Giants get hot.

Blake Snell’s starts this season

Snell’s first start of the season with the Giants came on April 8 against the Washington Nationals. He pitched three innings and gave up three runs, giving up three hits and walking two. He threw 72 pitches in that game. The second start of the season came against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 14, when he gave up seven runs on six hits with two walks, giving up two home runs to his former team as well. He threw 78 pitches in that game in four innings of work

Snell’s latest start came on April 19 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That did not go much better, as he gave up five runs on nine hits, walking one. He threw 85 pitches in that appearance in 4.2 innings of work.

It will be interesting to see how Snell fares in his next start for the Giants.