Blake Snell (SP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 41% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Blake Snell made an immediate impact in his first MLB start back on April 23rd. While other top prospects like Jose Berrios and Aaron Blair have struggled mightily, Snell held the Yankees to one run on two hits over five innings. He might have gone longer if not for the usual rookie pitch count. After some more seasoning in the minors, he re-emerged last week against Seattle. Although he only went 3.1 innings and allowed five runs, if you dig deeper you'll see that he was victimized by sloppy defense. He only allowed one ER and was pulled early because he had reached 92 pitches. In his third start against Cleveland, he was overshadowed by Corey Kluber's masterful performance, but earned a quality start by lasting 6.2 IP and allowing two earned runs. Snell's 2.40 ERA is indicative of his minor league performance, as he has a career 2.82 ERA over all levels. He hasn't shown his full strikeout potential yet, but he did post a 10.3 K/9 in the minors. Snell may not get to showcase his full potential this season with a short leash and a struggling team around him, but his low ERA can help owners in deep leagues.