San Francisco Giants New Superstar Has Worrisome Start To His Tenure

It was another rough outing for the San Francisco Giants' new ace, something that is worrisome when looking at his statistics from last season.

Apr 14, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

There was some expectation that Blake Snell might get off to a slow start with the San Francisco Giants because he signed with them so late in the offseason that he wasn't able to use Spring Training to ramp up.

Instead, he was working out on his own and started in the minors to make sure his arm was where it needed to be before making his debut.

When the star left-hander did take the mound for the first time with the Giants, he didn't quite look like the reigning NL Cy Young award winner.

Snell gave up three earned runs in only three innings pitched against the Washington Nationals. His outing was expected to have a pitch limit because he's still working back into form, but he had to exit earlier than they would have liked.

He gave no indication of being worried after that game, telling reporters an interesting reason for his early struggles.

Snell took the mound for the second time this year on Sunday and the results were not pretty.

The lefty gave up seven earned runs in four innings pitched, getting chased after tossing 78 pitches. It was the second straight time he was removed from the game before reaching the 80 pitch mark and fifth inning.

This is a concerning sign for San Francisco.

When they gave him the two-year, $62 million contract, they expected to be getting one of the top pitchers in the game. That's not what they've gotten through two starts.

Snell could turn things around and reach that Cy Young-winning caliber he showed in 2023, but after only surrendering 45 earned runs last year, he's already given up 10 this season.

Giants manager, Bob Melvin, isn't concerned with his new ace after these early outings, though.

He told reporters "it's rare that you see him get hit like that" when discussing his performance against the Tampa Bay Rays and how he thinks Snell is still working his way back from the truncated ramp up time that he had.

Struggling early isn't uncommon for the left-hander either.

Last year he had an 0-4 record and 5.48 ERA through April before going on to win the NL Cy Young.

It may take a bit of time, but San Francisco should be seeing quality outings from their star offseason signing.