Baseball | March 20, 2015
Three All-Star appearances, three seasons with double-digit wins and a rotation spot in the farm system of an organization that has won three of the last five World Series are nice things to have in a professional baseball career, no doubt. But you can excuse Jack Snodgrass if he wants just a little bit more.
A two-year hurler for the Govs despite losing the entirety of the 2010 season because of shoulder troubles, two of Snodgrass' finest starts in an Austin Peay uniform were his last two: he scattered nine hits and allowed just one unearned run in 7.2 innings to keep the Govs in the game against Jacksonville State at the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament – a game the Govs eventually won to advance to the championship game – then knocked off host and top-seeded Georgia Tech with a brilliant seven-inning, seven-hit, one-earned performance to open the NCAA Atlanta Regional.
Although his career Austin Peay numbers (7-9, 5.05 ERA, 107 strikeouts in 133.2 innings) were more pedestrian than some Governor draftees, the left-handed Snodgrass showed he was capable of bringing his best to the big stage and was tabbed in the 27th round (837th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Over four seasons, including the last two with Double-A Richmond in the Eastern League, he's compiled 37 wins, topping out with a 12-4 mark in 2013, and striking out two batters for everyone one he walked. After working predominantly out of the bullpen at short-season Salem-Keizer in 2011, he's started at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons (averaging nearly 5 2/3 innings pitched per appearance), including a debut outing with the Flying Squirrels in 2013 where he threw six innings of a combined no-hitter – the first in Richmond history.
His All-Star appearances put him in the company of some of the best young players in baseball – in the 2012 California-Carolina League All-Star Game alone Snodgrass, then with Class-A Advanced San Jose, suited up with current big-leaguers Tony Cingrani and Billy Hamilton (Reds) and George Springer (Astros) and against Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) and Yordano Ventura (Royals). He also tossed a scoreless inning in last season's Eastern League All-Star Game, helping the West to a 5-2 win.
But here's the thing: San Jose and Richmond are in the San Francisco Giants organization. That organization, winners of three of the past five World Series, boasts homegrown pitchers such as Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum and big-money veterans in Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy in its starting rotation. Good as Snodgrass has been, his way forward has been blocked by some of the biggest (and best) names in baseball.
"It's a tough organization to climb the ladder in, because they win the World Series every other year," Snodgrass said during a recent interview. "I just have to keep working hard. Obviously, there are some small improvements that I work toward every year – adding to the repertoire, getting experience, all that stuff – but in terms of just one thing to get me to the next level, it's probably a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, as cliché as that sounds."
Unlike other Governor greats such as Shawn Kelley, Lee Ridenhour or even back to Jamie Walker – guys who were stand-out starters at the collegiate level who moved into the bullpen as professionals – Snodgrass has, for the most part, remained in the rotation as a professional. He believes his consistency has led to a prolonged look in the rotation, and acknowledged that being able to throw three pitches for strikes and having a reliable sinker gives him the ability to keep the ball down and over the plate for multiple innings at a time – in other words, the perfect recipe for a starting pitcher.
Whether as starter or reliever, Snodgrass wants what every baseball player wants – the ability to play at the highest level. He's also savvy enough to know that his best chance is to keep doing what he's doing – work hard and believe.
"There are 100 reasons for a guy not to make it, and you just need one to get there," he said. "I do everything I can to work hard and stay focused on what's important, and that's getting to the next level. You have to trust that the opportunity to play in Triple-A or in the big leagues is on its way."
When Snodgrass arrived in Richmond in 2013, he was one of the youngest guys on the team. Last season, he was among the oldest – showing just how quickly things can flip in the minors. At each stop, he's seen the progression of the hitters and how much bigger the talent jump is from one level to the next.
"Every step of the ladder you climb, the hitters are a little better," Snodgrass said. "In short-season, it was a lot like college, but then High-A (San Jose) was baptism by fire and Double-A was when I started understanding, 'Okay, these are professionals who are trained to hit and get paid well for it.' It's an interesting evolution."
Jumping a level is obviously a goal for Snodgrass in 2015. But if you're a two-time All-Star waiting for the call to make the next leap, you have to hold yourself to a higher standard, which Snodgrass seems to do.
"I want to improve on the consistency in my delivery this year," he said. "Every season I've had three or four games that really put a big hit on my numbers. If I can cut down from four to maybe two and finish strong, I'd feel pretty good about it."
