May 15, 2008 Ian Snell had another rough outing on Thursday as he was hammered for 11 hits and five runs in only four innings against the Cardinals. He received a no-decision for his efforts.
Our View:Snell has failed to even remotely approach the expectations that most had for him entering this season, but there are no indications that he is injured meaning he likely would make a nice target to acquire via the trade route with his value being depressed.
May 5, 2008 Ian Snell's record dropped to 2-2 with Sunday's loss to the Nationals. His 5.09 ERA and 1.65 WHIP are very concerning, especially for the most consistent piece of a Pirates rotation. Snell's strike outs are down on the season. He has only 22 in 34.2 innings of work for a career low 5.53 K/9.
Our View:The fact that Snell hasn't had more than five strikouts in any of his seven starts indicates there are problems with his mechanics or he isn't completely healthy.
May 4, 2008 Ian Snell continues to struggle. He served up 10 hits and four runs over six innings against the Nationals on Sunday. Snell struck out only two batters. He has allowed at least three runs in six of his seven starts this year.
Our View:We still like Snell in general, but his current work is a bit alarming. He's not making batters miss at the moment. It may be a decent buy-low moment.
April 30, 2008 Ian Snell has struggled a bit out of the gate with a 4.93 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, and he plans on showing some major improvement moving forward, according to MLB.com. "I'm trying to be too relaxed and trying to place the ball rather than do what I do, and that's throw hard," Snell said. "I've just got to get back to my original self and stop trying to be something that I'm not."
Our View:Snell is averaging less than six K per 9 IP while allowing almost 11 hits per 9, two key factors in his early struggles. As such, Snell's value is currently depressed making him an excellent pitcher to target if his current owner is dissatisfied with his early results.
April 23, 2008 Ian Snell lasted six innings against the Cardinals and picked up the no-decision as he allowed four runs in six innings.
Our View:Snell was totally out of character tonight with four BB and only one K, but he kept his team in the game when he didn't have his best stuff, and that is the mark of a champion.
