The maturation of Snell

Nice article at SI.com about Ian Snell growing up this year. The article talks a lot about what some of us in Pittsburgh have already noticed, that Ian is finally becoming a pitcher (not to toot my own horn or anything, but here's what I wrote after the home opener). Anyways, the key excerpt from the SI article (that for some reason was buried on the second page):

Snell's newly found changeup, coupled with a slider he's developed over the last three years, his mid-90s fastball and a better-than-average curveball, has turned him from a hard-headed, hard-throwing youngster into a fledgling all-around pitcher. His assortment of pitches also has helped Snell cut down on the number of home runs he's allowed. In his first 46 innings this year, he's served up only two.

He's throwing four pitches this year. Last year in camp we were worried he could only throw one. His improvement since last year is the one clear victory the Tracy camp can claim, though knowing Snell and how competitive he is, I think a ton of credit has to go straight to him.

Hat tip to commenter JR for the tip.