Robby

Snelling

Snelling struck out two of the first three batters he faced in the first inning on Friday, but an RBI single by CJ Abrams to bring home Curtis Mead gave the Nationals their first run of the night, while a Jacob Young homer on the following at-bat pushed the Nationals’ lead to 3-0. It would be the only three runs Snelling would allow in his debut, as the lefty would settle in to pitch four-straight scoreless innings, to hold the Nats in check. He struggled at times with his command, as evidenced by the four walks he allowed, but Snelling bounced back in fine fashion after a rough first inning in his debut. His next start is scheduled for Thursday at the Twins.

This move was known for most of the week, but is now official. Snelling had an official breakout last season, and then continued that with an impressive start to this season, posting a 1.86 ERA and 44/15 K/BB ratio across 29 innings at Triple-A. He’s worth an add in all formats, but it should be noted that the jump to the big leagues is a large one, and rookie pitchers tend to be inconsistent.

It’s happening. The worst-kept secret in baseball for the last few days has been that Snelling was going to be brought up to make his big-league debut after Miami finally jettisoned Chris Paddack from their rotation. It became undeniable after Braxton Garrett made his scheduled start for Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old southpaw is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and has outstanding at Triple-A Jacksonville this season with a microscopic 1.86 ERA and 44/15 K/BB ratio across 29 innings. There will be some of the usual growing pains for a talented young arm acclimating to life in the majors, but Snelling offers enough strikeout upside that he should be rostered in all fantasy formats.

Snelling’s forthcoming major-league debut feels inevitable after lefty Braxton Garrett took the ball for Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday night instead of being scratched. It’s not official yet, but all signs point to Snelling arriving in the big leagues later this week after Miami decided to finally move on from Chris Paddack. There are likely to be some growing pains as he acclimates to pitching at the highest level, but the 22-year-old out southpaw offers enough strikeout upside to warrant a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats.

This comes just two days after the Marlins said that Paddack was going to make his next turn in the rotation. Turns out, posting a 7.34 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 30 2/3 innings is not what Miami had in mind for the final spot in their rotation. In the immediate, they will call up a reliever to give them an extra arm in the bullpen, but another starter will be joining the rotation on Friday. While everybody wants it to be Robbie Snelling, and he is an option, fellow left-hander Braxton Garrett is actually on the 40-man roster and has a 1.71 ERA in five Triple-A starts this year. We would bet that Garrett gets the call on Friday, but it’s undecided for now.

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that Snelling doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after recording a stellar 1.86 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 44/15 K/BB ratio across 29 innings over six starts this season. The 22-year-old southpaw has notched at least nine strikeouts in three of his last four starts and showed improved command in this latest outing after handing out five free passes in his previous start. Snelling is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy leagues on the chance that Miami finally decides he’s ready to take the ball in the majors.

Snelling looks ready to face hitters at the highest level after another impressive outing on the doorstep of the majors where he allowed just three baserunners and needed just 75 pitches to navigate six frames. The 22-year-old southpaw lowered his ERA to 1.89 in the process and boasts a sublime 31/9 K/BB ratio across 19 innings over four starts. He’s exceeded seven punchouts in three straight starts. It’s only a matter of time before he gets the nod to replace underwhelming veteran Chris Paddack in Miami’s rotation. Snelling should be stashed in deeper mixed leagues and will be worthy of a speculative roster spot in shallow formats once he’s promoted.

Snelling scattered a pair of hits and four walks, needing 94 pitches (57 strikes) to post his first double-digit strikeout effort of the year. The 22-year-old southpaw has solved the serious command issues the plagued him earlier in his development and has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape. He holds a strong 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 22/8 K/BB ratio across 13 innings over three starts this season on the doorstep of the majors. There aren’t a ton of obstacles to a spot in Miami’s rotation and Snelling figures to get his opportunity at some point around midseason, if not sooner.

Snelling’s path to a spot in Miami’s season-opening rotation spot evaporated following the addition of Chris Paddack earlier this spring but he still looked sharp in a handful of Grapefruit League outings. It’ll come down to either Braxton Garrett or Janson Junk for the final spot in the rotation. The 22-year-old southpaw is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and should be fantasy relevant once he arrives in the big leagues given his strikeout upside and pitcher-friendly home ballpark. He’s a name to keep on early-season watch lists, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Snelling gave up five runs to the Phillies last time out, so this is a nice return to form for him. He’s going to be sent down unless the Marlins rotation gets battered by injuries between now and Opening Day, but he might not stay in Triple-A for long.