MIAMI — Before even throwing his first major league pitch, Robby Snelling found himself signing autographs for eager Miami Marlins fans a full day ahead of his anticipated debut.
The organization is hoping this scene becomes commonplace for their second-ranked pitching prospect, who earned a promotion from Triple-A Jacksonville this week to start Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Snelling shared from Miami’s clubhouse Thursday, moments before heading to the dugout where supporters called out for his autograph. “Still trying to just kind of soak it in and get acclimated with all the guys again that I was around in spring and really take it all in and not let the moment get too big.”
The southpaw pitcher, who was chosen 39th overall by San Diego in the 2022 amateur draft, came to Miami as part of a 2024 trade that sent relievers Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the Padres.
Despite showing promise during spring training, Snelling failed to secure a spot on the Marlins’ opening day 40-man roster. He described the setback as both disappointing and inspiring.
“I was upset and not necessarily at anybody in general,” Snelling explained. “Just being told that you’re not going to get to do what you really had wanted to do as early as you wanted to do is a tough pill to swallow.
“But then you kind of come back down to earth and realize, ‘Alright, what do I need to do to get to that point where I want to be?’”
His response involved focusing on reducing his walk totals, particularly by throwing more first-pitch strikes. Through six outings with Triple-A Jacksonville this year, Snelling compiled a 3-1 record alongside the second-lowest ERA (1.86) among qualified hurlers. He issued more than three walks in just two of those six appearances.
“It’s exciting because Robby’s a great competitor,” commented Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough. “He’s worked really hard. He’s performing in a manner that he’s very deserving of this opportunity.”
Snelling’s opportunity arose when the team designated struggling starter Chris Paddack for assignment on Tuesday.
The veteran Paddack, 30, had signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Miami during the offseason with expectations of filling a back-end rotation role. However, Paddack faltered through seven starts, recording an 0-5 mark with a 7.63 ERA while lasting six innings just once.
While Miami had other veteran alternatives available, including southpaw Braxton Garrett, Snelling’s impressive recent work convinced the organization he had earned the chance.
“Coming into it we were certainly very high on Robby,” McCullough noted. “He performed incredibly well last year. This spring, he came into it in competition potentially for a spot in our rotation. Robby’s done well down there and continued to perform.”
Following the Jumbo Shrimp’s walk-off victory Wednesday, Snelling received word of his call-up. Triple-A manager David Carpenter summoned him to his office afterward, commending his concentration throughout the week despite uncertainty about whether his big league opportunity would materialize.
“I was like, ‘Man, it’s really hard to keep my sanity knowing that potentially it was an option for me to go up,’” Snelling remembered telling Carpenter, who responded with a casual inquiry.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re still good to go on Friday right?’” Carpenter said, referring to Snelling’s scheduled Triple-A start. “I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘Well, you’re going to be throwing in Miami.’”
Snelling characterized the recent days as a reunion with teammates he bonded with during spring training, including catcher Joe Mack, another top prospect who also received a promotion this week. Mack crossed home plate with the game-winning run on a throwing mistake during Thursday’s ninth-inning victory over Baltimore.
The experience has also given Snelling appreciation for his path to the majors.
“It was always fun competing with those guys (in the minors),” he reflected. “It didn’t really matter where I was in my mind. Obviously this is the goal — being up here and staying up here is the goal.”
