Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus
Blake Snell (Career: 11.0 fWAR | 10.8 bWAR)
After winning the 2018 AL Cy Young award, Blake Snell followed up with a disappointing 2019 season. In all, Snell only managed to start 23 games last year as he battled multiple injuries.
First, it was a fractured right toe that sidelined him for about a month, then he was diagnosed with loose bodies in his left elbow, which shut him down for almost 2-months.
What’s worse, when he did make his starts, they weren’t all that impressive. In fact, for the 2019 season, Snell posted a career-worse 4.29 ERA and gave up a career-high 1.2 HR per 9-innings.
Then, after an offseason of rest, the wheels came off when Snell had to miss a Spring Training start with a lingering elbow issue.
#Rays Snell did play catch today and said all was good with his elbow. However, it now looks like he'll pitch in a sim game in Port Charlotte on Saturday rather than face #BlueJays in Dunedin.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 11, 2020
Now the good news — at least for Snell. The novel coronavirus outbreak has given Snell the breathing room he needed to finally get himself right. Now, the most recent report from the Tampa Bay Times has Snell convinced that he’ll be ready for the start of the 2020 MLB season.
Can he return to his 2018 form? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure, he and his time sure think so.