MIAMI – A freshly shaven Robby Snelling walked around loanDepot park for the first time -- a place he had seen so many times on TV -- and soaked in his surroundings without his trademark mustache.
"I'm trying not to be super superstitious," Snelling said Thursday afternoon. "Felt like shaving needed to happen, so chopped it all off, and we're going to roll with it."
In a busy week for Marlins prospects, Snelling will become the sixth farmhand to receive his Major League callup when the left-hander starts Friday night’s game against the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Twenty-four hours previously, Miami had chosen Snelling, its No. 2 prospect (No. 32 overall), to take over Chris Paddack’s vacated rotation spot over more experienced candidates Braxton Garrett, Bradley Blalock and Ryan Gusto.
"Robby just pitched that way," manager Clayton McCullough said. "He's been on a roll [since] the end of last year, really pitched well this spring again. We saw the stuff was there, and he threw the ball well in spring, and he's done nothing but enhance that with how he's gone out and thrown the ball and performed to this point in Jacksonville. It's lined up well, and it's more than it lining up on the calendar. Robby has earned this chance now that it's open to come up and take that spot."
COMPLETE MARLINS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The 22-year-old Snelling, whose turn in the Triple-A Jacksonville rotation was this Friday, forced the organization’s hand by posting a 1.86 ERA (second lowest in the International League), a 0.90 WHIP (third lowest) and 44 strikeouts (tied for the second most) in six starts this season. He recently earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors for tossing five no-hit frames his last time out.
This speedy trajectory to The Show once may not have seemed possible for Snelling, whom the Marlins acquired from the Padres in July 2024, when he was in desperate need of getting his career back on track.
At the time of the blockbuster trade, Snelling’s velocity was down and his ERA had jumped to 6.01. The tweaks he had been working on began showing in a new environment, with a combined 3.64 ERA in his first eight starts in the Marlins' system – the last of which came at the Triple-A level.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder carried that momentum into 2025 by leading the organization in starts (25), ERA (2.51, fifth in the Minors) and strikeouts (166, fourth) between Double-A and Triple-A. He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week during his time with the Blue Wahoos, and August’s International League Pitcher of the Month with the Jumbo Shrimp.
"Snelling has a really interesting background," director of player development Rachel Balkovec told MLB.com in March. "He's just a really mature guy, and all we need to see from him is consistency."
This spring during his second big league camp with the Marlins, Snelling made such a strong impression that he was one of the final cuts. He wasn’t shy about aiming for the Opening Day rotation, even as a long shot non-roster invitee. The Marlins named Snelling as their starter for the Grapefruit League opener, and all he did was retire a trio of All-Stars – Marcus Semien, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette – in order.
The competitive Snelling was naturally frustrated about being reassigned to Minor League camp. He quickly turned his focus to improving in three specific areas: fewer walks, his new sweeper and a gyro at the bottom of the zone.
Nearly three months later, the outdoorsman from Reno, Nevada, will call South Florida home and bring his football mentality to the mound. Before choosing a professional baseball career, Snelling was a highly coveted football recruit.
"I'm a big believer in the proponent of being where your feet are and performing wherever you're at, and so that's kind of how I had my mindset," Snelling said. "I really enjoyed the guys that I was down there with, and we had a great locker room, and it was always fun competing with those guys, so it didn't really matter where I was in my mind. Obviously this is the goal, and being up here and staying up here is the goal, but I know that being in Jacksonville was a step for that. Being able to do what I did, and kind of solidify a routine and be able to go down there and work on some things that I didn't necessarily do great in spring, was the main goal. So hopefully that shows what I've been working on, and come up here and still compete."