Snelten was chosen with the 282nd overall pick in the 9th round of last week’s 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft
By: Alex Berg – Media Relations – Rochester Honkers Baseball Club
Snelten played two seasons with the Honkers from 2011-2012 and was signed to play a third summer in Rochester in 2013. In 16 appearances—14 starts—for the Honkers, he posted a lifetime record of 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA.
“I got the opportunity when Dan called me and wanted me to start throwing for Rochester,” Snelten said. “That summer (2011) was where I really started learning about what it takes to be a pitcher. From there I knew right away I was going to go back to Rochester and I was not going to pass up on that opportunity to improve.”
Outside of his two summers in Rochester, the Ingelside, IL native, has become very familiar with the state of Minnesota after playing three seasons with the University of Minnesota. As a freshman for the Gophers, he appeared in 13 games and had a 5.22 ERA. The following season, he lowered his ERA to 3.24 while throwing 86 innings. This season, the 6’7” left-hander posted his best numbers in his collegiate career as he went 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA.
“Minnesota taught me a lot about how to handle emotions,” Snelten said. “There are a lot of situations where your first instinct is to panic or freak out; my time in the Big Ten, and in the Northwoods League, helped improve the mental part of my game.”
Being drafted last week was not a first-time experience for Snelten, he was selected in the 30th round of the 2010 by the San Diego Padres before attending college.
“I knew I was going to develop a lot in school, so it was going to take a lot of money to convince me not to go to school,” Snelten said. “Long story short, I went to Minnesota for three years and that is why I am where I am at today.”
The 21-round improvement is certainly something to be proud of, but Snelten says that the numbers do not mean near as much as the opportunity does.
“Any opportunity to play professional baseball is a blessing,” Snelten said. “For me, it does not really matter what round or what the signing bonus is. All I know is that I am getting a jersey, a glove, and the opportunity to throw some innings for the Giants organization and I am very thankful for that.”
The Giants have won two of the last three World Series with a core of mostly young players that were drafted and developed within the organization. For Snelten, the proof lies in the arms of Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner. All three pitchers were drafted by the organization and are current members of the starting rotation.
“I am really excited that it was the Giants organization that drafted me,” Snelten said. “They are pretty well known around the league for developing their own guys and getting them through the system. I really admire the loyalty they have shown to the players that they have drafted because I know that they will work with me to help me get better and stronger each day.”
Snelten has followed the game closely enough to know that being drafted, in any round, does not entail an automatic pass to the Major League.
“I have learned that setting small goals for each day at a time is most important,” Snelten said. “I am just going to stick to my philosophy of getting a little bit better each day. When you are playing in the minor leagues, it is important to know that is a marathon and not a sprint; not many people make it up there in the first year or two. If I don’t make it up there for four or five years, that will be okay; I just want to be sure that when I leave the park each day that I am a little bit better than I was the day before.”
