The first half of the 2024 season for the San Francisco Giants was plagued by injuries and inconsistent performance throughout the lineup, including by ace Blake Snell, leaving them fourth in the National League West with a 47-50 record. Yet they remain just three games back of the last NL wild card spot.
Wild Offseason for Blake Snell en Route to Becoming Giants Ace
San Francisco went into the 2024 season with significant expectations. They spent upwards of $400 million in the offseason, second only to the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants acquired Korean star OF Jung Hoo Lee, slugger Jorge Soler, and defensive specialist Matt Chapman.
Their largest signing came “at the buzzer” of free agency when Blake Snell inked a two-year $62 million contract on March 19. San Francisco was able to land the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, stripping him from their division foe San Diego Padres. The signing also reunited him with his former manager, Bob Melvin.
Snell posted a 14-9 record with a 2.25 ERA, 1.189 WHIP, and a career-high 234 strikeouts on his way to his second Cy Young Award in 2023. The delayed signing came a week before Opening Day, preventing Snell from seeing any action on the mound in Spring Training.
Early Struggles to Open Giants Career for Blake Snell
The lack of reps essentially doomed his Cy Young title defense as it has been an uphill battle to return to form. Snell made his Giants debut on April 8 after admittingly rushing back too early. Snell’s April was abysmal, going 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA and giving up 18 hits in 11 2/3 innings of work before landing on the IL.
Returning in late May, Snell continued to struggle in his three starts. His June 2 start against the New York Yankees looked his best to that point but would be soured by injuries once again. Landing him on the IL with a groin injury.
Frustrations became apparent in late June, “I haven’t felt like me yet. It’s ‘Alright, c’mon, we need you, we need you, we need you.’ It’s not like, ‘Let’s get him right.’ And then I have to deal with it,” Snell said.
The Return of Snellzilla
After his longest stint on the IL, Snell returned to the mound at Oracle Park on July 9 versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Snell dominated in five innings, allowing just one hit and helping to secure the win for the Giants.
Snell followed it up with the best start of the year to close out the first half. The left-hander took a perfect game into the seventh inning versus the Minnesota Twins. He allowed one hit with eight strikeouts in seven shutout innings. He did this without allowing a walk, which has been the Achilles heel of Snell throughout his career.
Notorious for his ability to ramp up performance in the second half of the season. Snell showed he still has Cy Young stuff in him. If 12 innings, two hits, zero runs, three walks, and 11 strikeouts over his last two starts is any indication of what’s to come in the second half for Snell, the Giants could be threats to make a push into the playoffs.
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