Don’t Sleep on Blake Snell – Beckett Pricing Insider
The Tampa Bay Rays have been making headlines all season for their new pitching strategy. They’re using relievers as starters, only having them pitch an inning or two before going to the next reliever. However, there is one Rays’ starter who has his spot at the front of the Rays rotation secured, Blake Snell.
Last week, left-handed pitcher Blake Snell joined David Price as the only Rays’ pitchers to earn 20 or more wins. On Sunday, Snell won his 21st to pass Price to set the franchise record for most wins in a season. Snell’s accomplishment comes at a time when we’re seeing fewer 20-game winners. Just nine pitchers have done it over the last five years, including none in 2017.
Snell was drafted by the Rays 52nd Overall in the Supplemental First Round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was first called up in April, 2016 and would go onto make 19 starts, finishing with a 6-8 record and a 3.54 ERA. He struggled at the beginning of 2017 and was sent down to AAA in early May. At the end of June he was recalled and would finish off the season strong.
This year Snell has been dominant. While he was initially snubbed, he was named to the AL All-Star Team as an injury replacement. More importantly for Tampa, he is bound to win the AL ERA Title with his 1.90 ERA. All this puts him in contention for the AL Cy Young Award.
If you’re looking for Blake Snell cards, you have almost 1000 to choose from. Many of have seen a jump in value with Snell’s recent performance. One that collectors can’t get enough of is his 2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autograph.
Inserted in boxes of 2016 Topps Heritage High Number, it has an on-card signature from his rookie year using the 1967 Topps Baseball design. Although the regular version isn’t numbered, there is a Red Ink parallel that is hand-numbered out of 67. The regular version is selling for around $60, while the red version is going for around $100 to $150.
This edition of the Beckett Pricing Insider is sponsored by MVP Sports Collectibles.
