New Marlins Arrival Still Has Time To Make His NL ROY Case
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There will be plenty of eyes on Robby Snelling on Friday as the Miami Marlins' No. 2-ranked prospect gets his first big league start against the Washington Nationals.
Ever since Chris Paddack was designated for assignment on Tuesday, it has felt like the Marlins were preparing for Snelling's arrival. And with good reason. The lefty made a strong impression against major league hitters this spring and has dominated so far this season at Triple-A Jacksonville.
Snelling Has Earned His Big League Opportunity
While Snelling didn't quite crack the roster out of training camp, he turned plenty of heads. Even in allowing seven earned runs across 8.1 innings of work, the 22-year-old 13 of the 40 batters he faced (33%) and even set down All-Stars Marcus Semien, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette in a perfect inning against the New York Mets.
That strikeout mastery has been on display at the minor league level this season for Snelling, as well. He has recorded 44 strikeouts in just 29 innings of work (13.7 SO/9) while logging a 3-1 record with a 1.86 ERA in six starts.
Could the NL Rookie of the Year Award Still Be In Reach?
Not that Snelling needs any more pressure to contend with as he gets set to make his major league debut, but the buzz surrounding the Reno, Nevada native raises questions about just what he might be able to achieve if he's able to unleash his arsenal at the MLB level.
More specifically, is it still possible for Snelling to pitch himself into Rookie of the Year contention?
Although Snelling has already surrendered more than a month's head start to other eligible National League rookies who began the season with their MLB teams, there's reason to believe that he could close the gap. First and foremost, no one has taken charge atop the leader board at this point.
Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds is a versatile infielder who claimed NL Rookie of the Month honors for April thanks to nine home runs and a .943 OPS for the month, but he has since entered a slump. Nolan McLean has performed well (2.97 ERA, 51 strikeouts in seven starts), but hasn't quite lived up to the lofty expectations that awaited the Mets' uber-prospect before the season.
At this point, neither Stewart nor McLean have set the type of blazing pace we've seen in the American League, where both Detroit's Kevin McGonigle and Chicago's Munetaka Murakami are creating significant distance between them and the rest of the field.
Suffice to say, Snelling won't be without competition in a potential ROY pursuit. Even if he does get out to a strong start, Stewart and McLean, not to mention other lurking candidates like St. Louis' JJ Wetherholt and Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin will also be making their case.
Still, it speaks to the possibilities in play for Snelling as he gets his MLB career underway. Joining a rotation that already boasts a rising young ace in Max Meyer, he now has the chance to cement his place and announce himself as a rising star in baseball. And chasing some hardware would be a heck of a way to do it.
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