Big-time development for Lakes product Snelten

As he waited to board an airplane out of Milwaukee en route to Arizona for his first spring training with the San Francisco Giants' big-league club, DJ Snelten recalled a long flight.

It was 2010, Snelten's senior year at Lakes and Paul DeJong's sophomore year at Antioch. On a day he says he wasn't supposed to pitch, Snelten got the call anyway against the crosstown rival in a regional game at Grayslake Central.

DeJong took him deep. The ball flight was memorable.

"He hit it 400 feet," Snelten said with a laugh.

Last year, the two players from neighboring high schools faced each other again on a baseball field. Snelten had just been promoted to Class AAA Sacramento. DeJong got called up to the St. Louis Cardinals that same week. Snelten says he retired DeJong on an opposite-field flyball that landed by the warning track, then struck him out.

"It went in my favor, but he's a hard at-bat," Snelten said. "He's got a lot of talent. I've always known that about him since we were in high school and he hit that first home run off me in 2010. He's always been a kid of tremendous talent, and he's got a great work ethic.

"I'm really happy to see how much success he's had up in the big leagues."

DeJong went on to hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals and finished second in National League rookie of the year voting. Snelten finished 2017 in Class AAA, posting a 2.42 ERA in 52 innings (all in relief) with 43 strikeouts and 18 walks.

When he followed up with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, Snelten got a memorable call. On Nov. 20, the Giants added the 6-foot-7, 245-pound left-hander to their 40-man roster.

"I found out right around the deadline," Snelten said. "The deadline was at 7 p.m. I think I was told around 7:04."

Snelten, whose parents still live in Lindenhurst, was hanging out at his brother John's baseball facility, Prime Athletics in Gurnee, when he got the call. Young players who train at the facility were also there.

"I was over the moon," Snelten said. "I was with everybody when it happened so it was pretty cool to have that support system back home and have everybody be excited for me too."

While Snelten, 25, has a 3.10 ERA in 363⅓ innings in the minors, he wasn't positive he would be put on the 40-man.

"You never really know for certain," San Francisco's ninth-round pick in 2013 said. "I had a good year so I had high hopes that it was going to happen, but in this game you never know what's going to happen. I just waited for that day to come."

Snelten still hasn't reached his ultimate goal of pitching in the big leagues. But after a three-year career at the University of Minnesota and parts of five seasons working his way up in the Giants' system, he's as close as he's ever been.

A turning point came last year in spring training.

"We threw the idea of conventional baseball out of the window in terms of pitching mechanics, and we started doing what was more comfortable for me," Snelten said. "Some people say I'm more funky with my delivery, but it's what's comfortable for me."

Former major league pitcher Steve Kline had Snelten in Class AA at the start of last season and coached him in low-A before that.

"He and I have always had a really good connection, and we've always understood each other's thought processes," Snelten said. "We'd always talk and bounce different ideas, and we finally found something that just really worked for me."

Snelten adds he and Kline tweaked his windup.

"Instead of going from side to side like I used to, now it's a more linear pitching motion," said Snelten, who's grown about an inch and added 35 pounds to his frame since his days at Lakes. "It's really hard to explain with words. I guess it's something you have to see."

Snelten didn't necessarily see a tick in velocity, but the change allowed him to throw more strikes and get ahead in counts. His fastball clocks consistently in the low 90s, while his slider remains a favorite pitch.

This year marks the first time he's in spring training with the big-leaguers. And while he's not making any predictions about his chances of breaking camp with the Giants, he appreciates his opportunity.

"I'm incredibly excited," Snelten said. "This is the first time I've had an opportunity to be so close to reaching my dream. I couldn't be more happier about heading out to Scottsdale and figuring out whether or not I can break through or take more time to develop to be ready for them when they need me."

If he makes it up to the big leagues, maybe he'll get to face DeJong again. He knows the local community will be proud.

"I hope that happens," Snelten said. "It'd be cool to play against Paul and have another opportunity to have that district rivalry happen again."

For the locals, it might not matter which player prevails.

jaguilar@dailyherald.com

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