Padres pitcher and Seattle native Blake Snell to raise 12th Man Flag
Thanksgiving may be synonymous with football, but for a moment there will be some love given to baseball. For the Seattle Seahawks’ Thursday Night Football showdown, San Diego Padres star pitcher – and Seattle native – Blake Snell will be raising the iconic 12th Man Flag in the south end zone.
Blake Snell, the former Shorewood High School Stormray, is coming off his second Cy Young caliber season. In 2023, Snell was a rare bright spot for the disappointing Padres. Snell helped guide San Diego to a 14-9 record in his starts and had an MLB-best 2.25 ERA. He has now won a Cy Young in both the American League and the National League.
Of course, Snell’s presense will surely have fans wondering about the team who plays just south of Lumen Field. Snell is currently a free agent, and while the Mariners aren’t thought to be in the market for starting pitching depth, bringing him home to Seattle would go a long way to repairing the damaged goodwill between the organization and its beleaguered fans.
Should Snell be announced as a surprise signing before the game, it would most assuredly warrant quite the roar from the 12th Man.
San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell is one of the more unique personalities in baseball, which always makes for a fun interview during games.
On Tuesday, the Padres got Snell to join the Bally Sports broadcast from the dugout in the third inning. And the free-flowing conversation included a real-time quiz about advanced metrics.
Basically, Snell noticed that the Petco Park videoboard displayed “wRC+” and he genuinely didn’t know what it was. So, he asked play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo if he knew. Orsillo did not know either, and they somewhat tried to figure out the statistic as the Nelson Cruz at-bat went on.
The stat actually means weighted runs created plus, which is the runs created statistic that also takes into account factors like ballpark. Via MLB.com:
It’s adjusted, so a wRC+ of 100 is league average and 150 would be 50 percent above league average. For example, a player who plays his home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field will have a lower wRC+ than a player who posts identical stats at pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum.
While fans thought it was surprising that Snell didn’t know about wRC+, many thought the Padres broadcast should have had some knowledge of the stat. Either way, it made for a fun exchange.
Los fans de los Philadeplhia Pillies están tristes esta mañana y todo es por por Bryce Harper y una devastadora lesión que sufrió ayer en la noche en el triunfo de los Phillies sobe los Padres en el Petco Park en San Diego. En la parte alta de la …
En la parte alta de la cuarta entrada, Harper fue golpeado en el pulgar por una bola rápida de 97 mph lanzada por el pitcher de los Padres, Blake Snell. Inmediatamente sintió dolor y fue rápidamente diagnosticado con un pulgar fracturado.
Harper, quien estará fuera de indefinidamente, estaba emocional después de la lesió, pero rápidamente se controló y se le vio decirle a Snell que estaba bien.
Imagine being the greatest hitter in the sport and your season could potentially be over.
Harper makes sure to accept Snell's apology before even reaching the dugout
Traducción.- Imaginen ser el mejor bateador en el deporte y que su temporada podría estar potencialmente terminada. Harper se aseguró´de aceptar la disculpa de Snell incluso antes de llegar al dugout. Clase mundial de Bryce Harper.
bryce harper to blake snell: “i know you weren’t trying to do it”
“No estaba nada caliente,” dijo Harper. Fue solo el momento y una situación horrible. He jugado frente a Blake desde que teníamos 10, 11 años, así que sé que no hubo nada de mala intención de su parte. Dentro del campo es parte del juego. Es un gran jugador y también un gran ser humano. Le deseo lo mejor, y le dije que siga lanzando esa bola rápida porque acomoda ese slider bastante bien.
Los fans estaban impresionados con esta reacción con tanta clase.
Harper got hit with a 97mph fastball in the thumb, fracturing it. He reacted initially in anger, as most would expect, then had the presence of mind (in a moment where you’d understandably focus on yourself) to turn and reassure Snell. An incredibly kind gesture. https://t.co/Xu1qK3qCWL
Traducción.- Harper fue golpeado por una bola rápida a 97 mph en el pulgar, fracturándolo. Reaccionó inicialmente con coraje, como casi todos esperarían, después tuvo la presencia de ánimo (en un momento en el cual entendiblemente te enfocarías en ti mismo) para voltear y tranquilizar a Snell. Qué gesto tan increíblemente amable.
Damn. What a class act in a terrible situation. Hats off to Bryce sharper https://t.co/gAiRIWDpaC
Stephen A. Smith goes off on Blake Snell and Bryce Harper over their comments about a potential pay cut.
Major League Baseball owners and players are seemingly headed toward a battle over money as the league attempts to start the 2020 regular season, and two star players have now publicly spoken out against the owners’ proposal for a revenue split that would result in players earning less than their scheduled 2020 salary.
In an attempt to mitigate revenue losses, owners have proposed to the MLBPA that the two sides split all 2020 revenue 50/50, which means players would not be paid a full pro-rated amount of their salary. The MLBPA called the proposal a “salary cap,” and made it clear it has no interest in agreeing.
Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell took a firm stance against the proposal this week. In a Twitch stream, Snell said that he will not play unless he gets all of the money in his contract for 2020.
“No, I’m not splitting no revenue. I want all mine. Bro, y’all got to understand too, because y’all are going to be like ‘bro, Blake, play for the love of the game, man! What’s wrong with you bro? Money should not be a thing!’
Bro, I’m risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It 100 percent should be a thing.”
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, who inked a 13-year, $330 million contract last year, voiced his support for Snell on Thursday, though didn’t indicate whether he’d be willing to play this season for a reduced wage.
“He ain’t lying. He’s right. Hey, he’s speaking the truth, bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it. At least he manned up and said it. Good for him.”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith erupted on both players on Friday’s episode of First Take, arguing that it was “dumb” of both Snell and Harper to make such assertions at a time when more than 30 million Americans are unemployed.
“I don’t have any problem with how Snell feels. I don’t have any problem with how Bryce Harper feels. I think it was a dumb thing to say, particularly in this moment in time. ‘I gotta get mine. I gotta get mine.’ I’m sorry, Max Kellerman, I’m not Dr. Fauci, and I’m not trying to be, and I’m not going to get into the minutia of the thijjngs that you say as it pertains to the threats that entail the coronavirus. We all know, we’re living it right now. Gloves, masks, all of that stuff is necessary right now. Safety first, we get all that. I don’t need to regurgitate those kind of comments.
…. I have no problem with the Players Association’s position that ‘wait a minute, we already discussed this. We had already dealt with this. What’s the problem now?’ I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is how [Snell] came across. 33 million-plus people have filed for unemployment. ‘Oh I got to get mine!’ When you were scheduled to make $7 million dollars. It’s just a dumb thing to say. Bryce Harper, you signed a contract for 13 years, over $300 million. ‘I don’t blame him one bit!’ It’s just not smart to say that, that’s what I’m saying…. How smart was it to say that at a time like this? Remember, the owners want them to come back to the negotiating table. Remember there’s a CBA in 2020 to deal with. I mean, what are you doing?! You shut the hell up and let your Players Association speak. You shut the hell up!”
Ace Blake Snell previously said he won’t play baseball if players have to take another salary cut.
Bryce Harper supports Tampa Bay pitcher Blake Snell, who said he won’t play if MLB players have to take additional pay cuts should the 2020 baseball season eventually begin at some point.
As the league continues trying to figure out if it can begin competition this year amid the global coronavirus outbreak, it is expecting to lose a huge amount of revenue from the lack of ticket sales. So MLB owners proposed a 50-50 revenue split with the MLBPA for a shortened season they hope will start in July. However, that proposal would mean players would not be paid 100 percent of their contract per game this season.
The MLBPA is expected to reject that element of the proposal and cite an earlier deal from March that guaranteed players a prorated salary based on the number of games played, ESPN reported.
Snell, who’s in the second year of a five-year, $50 million contract, said recently while on a Twitch stream that taking the field for a reduced isn’t worth the risk, and he won’t do it.
While on his own Twitch stream Thursday, Harper agreed with Snell. The Philadelphia Phillies superstar was playing Fortnite and, per NBC Sports Philadelphia, he asked Phillies prospect Bryson Stott what Snell said about the 50-50 revenue proposal.
“I love Snell. That’s my guy, bro. I love Snell. He ain’t lying. He’s right. Hey, he’s speaking the truth, bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it. At least he manned up and said it. Good for him. I love Snell, man. Guy’s a beast too. One of the best lefties in the game.”
Although Harper clearly supports Snell’s position, the Phillies slugger didn’t go as far as saying he, too, would refuse to play under a 50-50 revenue sharing agreement.
Snell was set to earn $7 million in 2020, and he said the risk of playing right now or in the immediate future is “through the roof,” adding: “I’m not playing unless I get mine.”
“I’m not splitting no revenue. I want all mine. Bro, y’all got to understand too, because y’all are going to be like ‘bro, Blake, play for the love of the game, man! What’s wrong with you bro? Money should not be a thing!’
“Bro, I’m risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It 100 percent should be a thing. If I’m going to play, I should be at the money I signed to be getting paid.”
After sharing his thoughts, Snell later clarified what he meant in text messages to the Tampa Bay Times. He said he realizes some will see his point of view as greedy, but MLB owners trying to cut their salaries more “is super frustrating because we have way more risk.”
“I mean, honestly, it’s just scary to risk my life to get COVID-19 (the disease caused by the coronavirus) as well as not knowing and spreading it to others,” he said via text. “I just want everyone to be healthy and get back to our normal lives, ’cause I know I miss mine!”
Previewing the American League Cy Young Award odds, with MLB betting odds, picks and best bets
Ordinarily, I avoid taking the low-return picks when you’re taking one player against the field, but the race for the 2020 American League Cy Young Award got interesting in a hurry with preseason injuries.
As a result, the options for picking the Cy Young winner have slimmed down with three weeks to go until the season’s first pitch.
As of 5 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, BetMGM has 12 other pitchers with odds of less than +3000:
Gerrit Cole (+265)
Justin Verlander (+600)
Chris Sale (+650)
Mike Clevinger (+1000)
Blake Snell; Charlie Morton (+1100)
Shane Bieber (+1600)
Tyler Glasnow; Carlos Carrasco (+2000)
Lucas Giolito; Zach Grienke; Corey Kluber (+2500)
American League Cy Young: Breaking down the field
The field is going to shift like a pendulum with spring training injuries to Sale and Snell. Both are expected to miss significant time, which will likely take them out of the running.
And Sunday afternoon, the Astros pulled Verlander after two innings of a scheduled four-inning start due to triceps soreness. There is no word on whether Verlander could miss any time, but it’s yet another injury to keep an eye on.
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One thing that is crystal clear is that BetMGM has a lot of faith in the Tampa Bay starting rotation. Three of the top eight plays are Rays (Snell, Morton and Glasnow). I don’t share that opinion because they’re reaching on expectation for both Snell (injured) and Glasnow (unproven). The club is formidable, but that prevents the Rays from relying on one or two guys and occasionally pushing them up in the rotation when scheduled off days or rainouts bring an ace’s start time back up.
Clevinger and Bieber are another tandem that are intriguing, but the Indians may not provide the consistent run support needed to post the numbers that make a player stand out in the Cy Young race.
Astros ace Justin Verlander is off to a shaky start this spring. (Photo Credit: Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports)
Verlander remains a dominant pitcher and is coming off a 21-win, 300-strikeout year and was a whopping 7.8 games above replacement. But, at age 37, the wall for starting pitchers with his mileage numbers is getting closer (as evidenced by Sunday’s news).
But, if you’re betting on this race, you have to go with Cole, despite the small return on investment. He was a good in Pittsburgh but became elite when he went to Houston before the 2018 season. In two seasons with the Astros, Cole made 65 starts and posted a record of 35-10 with 602 strikeouts in 412 2/3 innings, a 0.962 WHIP and a 2.68 ERA. He now goes to the Yankees where he can expect a lot of run support every start and get the wins to match or surpass what he did with the Astros. New York has eyes on the Yankees 24/7 and he has the chance to be the big man in the Big Apple.
THE BET: Take Cole and don’t look back. If you’re looking for a long shot to drop a few bucks on, consider Minnesota’s Jose Berrios (+4000). He is the staff ace of a team capable of winning 100 games again this year. When he is on his game, he can be dominant. Consistency is all that’s missing and he will be playing from ahead. Don’t break the bank on him, but, at +4000, you don’t have to.
Want to get some action on MLB futures betting? Do you have what it takes to pick this season’s winners before the season even starts? Place legal sports bets online at BetMGM.
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The San Diego Padres are about to make a move that will continue to help them build a contending team.
Per USA TODAY Sports, the Padres are “on the verge” of acquiring outfielder Tommy Pham, who had an .818 OPS to go with 21 home runs and 25 steals, in exchange for power hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The two teams will also swap prospects.
It’s a move that may not make Rays fans happy even though Renfroe slugged 33 dingers last year. But it might be necessary for a Rays team that always has to be budget-conscious since Pham could earn a big raise in arbitration.
And now we get to Pham’s now-former teammate, ace hurler Blake Snell, who happened to be streaming on Twitch when he saw the news break about the trade. He wasn’t pleased. (WARNING: NSFW language ahead):
