Blake Snell, a starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres where Ha-seong Kim plays, won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 and received attention as the best pitcher in the league. However, since 2021, when he moved to San Diego, his frequent injuries and ups and downs have left fans disappointed. Snell, who was like that, rebounded to become a top pitcher in the league this season, regaining his power from five years ago.먹튀검증
As of this season (as of 9/1), Snell has 11 wins, 9 losses, ERA 2.60 (1st in ML), 193 strikeouts in 149 innings (4th in ML), WHIP 1.26 (on base allowed per inning), bWAR (wins above replacement contribution) 4.2 (2nd in ML). Above), he is being mentioned as the most likely candidate for the Cy Young Award in the National League. If Snell is selected as the winner, he will become the seventh pitcher in history to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.
Thanks to Snell’s outstanding performance, San Diego was able to build a starting lineup that recorded a league-leading starting pitcher ERA (3.79) even when Darvish was underperforming.
The secret to Snell , who is in his third year with
San Diego, was able to take a leap forward this season is thanks to his refined curve command. Among Snell’s curveballs this season, the percentage of pitches that came into the center of the strike zone was 12%, the lowest in his career. On the other hand, the percentage of pitches that came into the bottom or adjacent area of the strike zone, which can lead to swings and misses (career average of 19%), rose to 44%, the highest since the 2020 season.
In the 2018 season, Snell’s curveball showed overwhelming power, with a drop of about 5 cm greater than the pitch average, the best OPS of 0.334 in the league, and a strikeout rate of 64%. However, later, as the curve’s drop width dulled to a level below the league average, its power disappeared, and Snell also had to change his main weapon to a slider.
However, after the 2021 season, Snell’s curve showed a horizontal movement that was a whopping 13cm higher than the league average, showing a movement toward the outside course against left-handed hitters.
Entering this season, his curve command ability has greatly improved, and he has shown tremendous power with an OPS of 0.288 and a strikeout rate of 63%, raising Snell back to being a Cy Young Award candidate. Although the style of curveball he uses has changed, Snell is using his curveball, which is based on precise command and movement, as his main weapon to dominate opposing hitters.
Rising concentration in the scoring range and becoming an unbreakable pitcher.
The biggest reason why Snell was able to record the lowest ERA in the league (2.60) despite his high WHIP (on base per inning allowed) of 1.26 this season is because there are runners in the scoring range. This is because they are recording the lowest hitting percentage (.167) and OPS (.513) in the league.
Snell was able to become a starting pitcher with the best crisis management ability in the league by overwhelming opposing right-handed hitters, such as recording an OPS of 0.429 against right-handed hitters in situations where runners were in scoring position.
The reason why Snell is able to show a strong performance when facing right-handed batters when he is in danger of conceding a run is because the power of his four-seam fastball has increased dramatically in critical situations. In situations where there are runners in scoring position, Snell’s four-seam fastball is showing outstanding power at 0.498 against right-handed batters.
A four-seam fastball used against a right-handed batter in a situation where there are no runners in scoring position has a high on-base allowance rate because many pitches end up in the middle of the plate. On the other hand, in a situation where there is a runner in scoring position, opposing right-handed hitters are unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities against Snell because he sharply targets the inside and outer course edges.
In addition, the curve, which has regained its power, is also more sharply attacking courses low in the strike zone in situations where a point is on the line. Snell was able to establish himself as the strongest starting pitcher in crisis situations this season because he showed such overwhelming power that he only allowed one single while recording 18 strikeouts when a runner was in scoring position.
Despite Snell’s rebound, his team’s San Diego team’s probability of advancing to the postseason has fallen to less than 2% due to extreme ups and downs in the batting lineup and a poor bullpen excluding closer Hader. In fact, fall baseball is far away.
Nevertheless, Snell, who will become a free agent at the end of this season, is more motivated than ever. Will Snell be able to continue his performance until the end of the season and succeed in winning the Cy Young Award in both leagues? Major league fans are also paying attention to how big a contract Snell will be able to sign in the free agent market after the season.
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