After signing a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants earlier this week, reigning National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell says he won't be ready for Opening Day.
Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area on social media:
Blake Snell told me he won’t be ready for Opening Day. He’s in the 60-pitch range but those are without adrenaline and facing big league hitters. Giants will set a schedule after he throws in bullpen tomorrow.
Though it's disappointing to see Snell unable to crack the Opening Day roster, it's completely understandable given his late signing.
Because he's already up to 60 pitches on his own, it shouldn't take long for him to ramp up, but he could require some simulated games at extended spring training and/or a minor league start or two to get accustomed to seeing hitters again.
When he eventually joins the Giants rotation, he'll pair with Logan Webb at the top of the rotation. Webb finished second in the National League Cy Young voting last season - right behind Snell. Eventually, former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray will join the rotation as well, once he recovers fully from his Tommy John surgery rehab.
Snell went 14-9 last year with a 2.25 ERA to win the Cy Young, which was the second of his career. He struck out a whopping 234 batters in 180.0 innings.
Lifetime, he's 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA. He's played in eight major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and Padres. He helped the Rays get to the 2020 World Series and also won the Cy Young in 2018, going 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA.
The Giants open the season on March 28 against the San Diego Padres.
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