Tampa Bay Rays 2020 Player Profile: Blake Snell

Tampa Bay Rays 2020 player profile on star pitcher, Blake Snell.

The Tampa Bay Rays‘ Blake Snell won the 2018 Cy Young with a 1.89 ERA. Snell followed up with a 4.29 ERA last season. Was it normal regression to an unusually lucky 2018 or was 2019 just unlucky?

Blake Snell
Position: SP
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215lb
Birthdate: 12/04/1992
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in round one of the 2011 draft.
2019 Salary: $573,700
2020 Salary: $7,600,000

2019 Stats
WAR: 1.4
Wins: 6
Losses: 8
Winning %: .429
ERA: 4.29
Games: 23
Innings Pitched: 107
Strikeouts: 147
Earned Runs: 51
ERA+: 104
FIP: 3.32
WHIP: 1.27
HR/9: 1.2
BB/9:  3.4

Splits
VS LHB: .329/.365/.529
VS RHP .222/.300/.362

Fun Facts

• Snell’s 2018 Cy Young Award came in only 180.2 innings pitched.
• His 1.89 ERA was the lowest by a left-handed pitcher since 1969 when the mound was lowered.
• His 1.89 ERA was the lowest by a starter in the AL since Pedro Martinez in 2000 had a 1.74 ERA.
• Snell’s 180.2 inning was the least amount ever pitched by a 20-game winner in a season.
• His 180.2 innings pitched was the lowest for a Cy Young winner since the 1994 strike-shortened season.

2020 Steamer Projections

3.42 ERA
179.0 IP
224 Ks
67 BBs
32 Starts

Blake Snell struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness last season. Some of that likely due to bad luck as his FIP was nearly a point lower than his ERA in 2019.

Snell maintained his elite strikeout rate as he punched out 147 batters in 107 innings pitched.

He posted a 2.89 ERA at home in 11 starts and a 5.82 ERA on the road in 12 starts. He walked exactly 20 batters and gave up seven homers both at home and on the road last season.

Heading into 2020 healthy and rarin’ to go, Blake Snell should return to his Ace-like ways and hopefully compete with teammates Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow for the AL Cy Young.

What do you expect from Snell in 2020?