SF Giants reveal Blake Snell’s 2024 debut and fans are excited after fast turnaround

The SF Giants rotation should get a boost by the start of next week. According to Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell is set to make his Giants debut against the Washington Nationals on Monday.

SF Giants reveal Blake Snell’s 2024 debut and fans are excited after fast turnaround

For Snell, it will be his first recorded appearance in a Giants uniform. He signed a two-year, $62 million pact with a chance to opt out after the first season. However, the signing was so late in the offseason that Snell did not make an appearance for San Francisco in the Cactus League.

Before the signing, the lefty pitcher had been building up arm strength in simulated games. Since then, he has been pitching in minor league games. That said, it will be a quick turnaround for Snell as he is only scheduled to miss two turns through the rotation after signing less than 10 days before the start of the year.

Snell is coming off of a stellar 2023 campaign in which he tallied a 2.25 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, and a 2.36 SO/W ratio in 32 starts. He did lead the league in walks and did not pitch particularly deep into games, averaging just under 5.2 innings per start.

The southpaw pitcher took home the NL Cy Young Award last season. It was the second time he had won the award with the first coming in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform in 2019. He became just the seventh pitcher in baseball history to win the award in both leagues. Since making his major league debut in 2016, Snell has recorded a 3.20 ERA in eight seasons with the Rays and the San Diego Padres.

It is too early to draw any meaningful conclusions, but the first turn through the starting rotation has been promising. Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, and Jordan Hicks all put together quality starts in their first outings of the year. Even Keaton Winn's 2024 debut on Monday where he allowed three earned runs across five frames against a tough Los Angeles Dodgers lineup had some encouraging signs as well.

The Giants hope that Snell is just the first of the reinforcements for the starting rotation. They also expect Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray back this season with the former ahead of his recovery timeline.