Snell counts Kershaw as fan, Miller as mentee

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Throughout his first spring with the Dodgers, Blake Snell has been on the receiving end of plenty of admiration from his new teammates and coaching staff. He got some especially high praise from one of his fellow southpaws.

"As a left-handed pitcher, you always look around the league and see left-handed pitchers that you like watching," Clayton Kershaw said. "Blake's definitely my favorite in the league right now. The way he can throw a baseball is special. It's just pretty, the way it comes out of his hand."

Is there a bigger compliment than being your favorite left-hander's favorite left-hander?

Kershaw, who is working his way back from offseason surgeries on his left foot and knee for his 18th season in the big leagues, is one of the best pitchers of his era. He's all but certainly bound for the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over, and he's spent his entire career with the Dodgers, which is rare nowadays.

Now with his fourth organization, Snell has had a different experience in that regard. He knows what it takes to get to know a new team now, but it took him some time to acclimate after he was traded from the Rays to the Padres after the 2020 season, his first time with a new organization.

"The first time I did it, it was pretty difficult for me," said Snell, who allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings in the Dodgers' 7-5 loss to the A's at Camelback Ranch on Sunday. "'21 was pretty, pretty tough, just more so figuring out, 'Who am I now that I'm not with Tampa?' I'm with San Diego.

"Learning myself, learning coaches, learning players. Not going there to try to impress people, more so just proving to myself that I'm doing the right things. ¡­ In '21 I was trying to be goofy and funny. I am that, but not while I play baseball."

Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million deal to join the Dodgers this past offseason, has expressed his excitement to have the opportunity to learn from Kershaw while they're sharing a clubhouse -- but others on the Dodgers feel the same way about Snell.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner has emerged as a mentor for Bobby Miller, whose spring progression was slowed after he was struck on the head by a line drive on Feb. 20. Even as their workloads have diverged -- Snell is ramping up as scheduled for the regular season, while Miller is on a delayed trajectory -- the two have continued to spend time around each other.

Last Friday, Snell was on the field on a cold, drizzly afternoon to watch as Miller faced live hitters for the first time since being hit by the line drive.

Much of Snell's impact on others in the Dodgers' clubhouse has been more subtle. It takes form in small gestures and behind-the-scenes conversations. Manager Dave Roberts has expressed multiple times that with Snell, the person the Dodgers have brought into their clubhouse may be just as impactful as the player.

"He¡¯s in the top tier of players," Roberts said earlier in camp. "Certainly, star players that have the bandwidth to focus on their own job, but also have the openness and the lens to try to make other people better."

The off-the-field value is just a bonus, because Snells ranks among the best of the best when he's on the mound. He recovered from a disastrous start to last season -- when he signed late with the Giants and missed Spring Training -- to post a 3.12 ERA across 20 starts.

With his short stint in the Cactus League behind him, Snell will next take the ball for one of the Dodgers' exhibition games in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Series against the Cubs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to start on Opening Day in Tokyo, with Roki Sasaki tentatively set to go in Game 2, but Roberts indicated that neither of them is likely to get the nod for the domestic opener.

It wouldn't be surprising, then, if Snell is on the mound for the Dodgers' home opener against the Tigers on March 27.

But Snell is not focused on when his first regular-season start will come. He's savoring the time he has to tune up for the games that matter -- the time that he did not have last year.

"Everyone wants to come into spring and they'll expect, 'Oh, Cy Young Blake,' but that's not realistic," Snell said. "I'm learning, I'm growing, I'm getting better."