During the 2023 NL Cy Young Award race, Blake Snell has been one of the top candidates all season long. On Tuesday’s 2-0 night’s home win against the Colorado Rockies, Snell looked unstoppable. He continues to gain momentum for the prestigious award after he threw seven shutout innings when facing Colorado. Even with the San Diego Padres being eliminated from playoff contention, Snell looks like one of the best pitchers in the game.
Snell’s Most Recent Outing
In the Padres 2-0 win on Tuesday night, Snell pitched seven innings. He allowed no runs and hits, just four walks, while striking out ten batters. Blake has a 14-9 record through 31 starts with a 2.33 ERA and 227 strikeouts. This season, the league’s combined batting average against Snell is .181. He leads the NL and the majors in this statistical category.
Comparing Snell to Other Cy Young Candidates
Guys like Spencer Strider and Justin Steele are also in the running for the NL Cy Young Award. Compared to Snell, Strider’s opponent’s batting average this season is .226. While the league against Justin Steele this year has a batting average of .244. Snell has been genuinely remarkable on the mound during this 2023 MLB campaign. Blake is looking to become the first pitcher in AL and NL since 1913 to lead the majors in ERA and walks. If he walks seven more batters before the regular season ends, he’ll become the first pitcher since 1966 to put up 200 plus strikeouts and 100 or more walks.
Believe the Hype
If you don’t believe the hype surrounding Snell this season, look at these ridiculous stats. Back in June, through five starts, Blake only allowed 13 hits. This month, in four starts, he has only given up nine hits. That’s truly unbelievable. Blake has a 13.4% walk rate. This is the first time in the majors in 173 seasons that a pitcher has a walk rate of 13% or higher with 150 innings or more pitched. Snell’s 169 ERA+ would top Hal Newhouser’s 162 ERA+ in 1942.
Unfortunately, the San Diego Padres will be watching the postseason from home. They can still try to build upon next season’s success, especially if they can finish the regular season dead set at .500 with an 81-81 record. It would be a step in the right direction if the Padres can pull it together and win seven out of their last ten games. It would be ultimately better than where they were in the middle of the season.
Main Photo Credits: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
