Understandable thoughts filled Kirby Snead’s mind after his June 2 outing at Coca-Cola Park. The left-handed reliever had signed with the Phillies less than three weeks earlier when the organization was desperate for minor-league pitching depth.
Snead’s first four outings with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs were quiet ones. They included no hits and two victories out of the bullpen.
But on June 2, the 31-year-old allowed a hit – it was a home run – and three earned runs in two innings. He walked five when he threw only 19 of 44 pitches for strikes.
It was nearly impossible for Snead to not think the worst that night as he took off the IronPigs’ home uniform.
“I knew at the time that my leash here was pretty short,” Snead said.
Snead’s age and path to the Phillies was enough to back up Snead’s belief. He spent parts of four years with the Blue Jays, Athletics and Mariners before ending up in independent ball for all of 2025.
The Florida native knew his next affiliated opportunity could be his last if it didn’t go well early. That outing was about as bad it could get.
But Snead picked himself up mentally and was prepared for the next call, whether it was out of the bullpen or into manager Tank Adamson’s office for the conversation all pro players fear.
He pitched five days later at home against the same team, the Rochester Red Wings, without incident.
Snead, minus one hiccup stretch in early July, has been stellar for the IronPigs. He walked nine in his first five outings after signing. He’s walked only eight since.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has a 1.91 ERA, second only to fellow 30-something reliever Lou Trivino, and opponents this season are hitting just .229 against him.
Snead has revived his career.
“You have to have a pretty short memory in baseball,” Adamson said, “particularly as a relief pitcher. It’s not always going to go perfectly to plan. Kirby is just really consistent with the way he prepares every day. He’s willing to take the ball all the time.”
Snead grew up in the Gainesville, Fla., area and was the Blue Jays’ 10th-round pick out of the University of Florida in 2016. He fittingly made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader on July 28, 2021, in Boston against the Red Sox.
His father and grandfather were Red Sox fans with fond memories of Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice, so Snead grew up cheering for Boston with a vivid memory of the 2004 World Series run. His father was at Fenway Park for his son’s debut.
“It was a pretty special moment to have him there,” Snead said of his dad, Phil. “He drove me everywhere, all over the map trying to get me to tournaments and games and showcases.”
Snead played with the likes of current major leaguers Vladimir Guerrero and Bo Bichette in the Blue Jays system. He was the 1,000th Mariner in their history dating back to inception in 1977.
He admittedly took some things for granted by 2024 with Seattle. His numbers didn’t support them re-signing him after that season: 7.68 ERA in 40 appearances at Triple-A Tacoma and a 4.35 ERA in 11 outings with Seattle.
His phone was quiet in the offseason and 2025 spring training as he worked with Driveline Baseball in Florida. It was a humbling experience.
“It kind of wakes you up a bit,” Snead said, “in a good way. In the moment, you have this terrible feeling not having anyone offer you a job.
“But, at the end of the day, it really helped me enjoy these opportunities. You never take anything for granted and just enjoy the moment.”
Snead headed in 2025 to independent ball in Staten Island, where he pitched to a 1.80 ERA in 37 games. He teamed with many former teammates in the MLB organizations he previously was in as well as Pablo Sandoval, a three-time World Series winner and 2012 World Series MVP.
He spent that summer living in dorm rooms at the College of Staten Island.
“It’s tough,” Snead said. “You’re 30 years old. I made a joke [with my Staten Island teammates]. I was pitching in Yankee Stadium in 2024, then in ’25 I’m in Staten Island. It was just a whirlwind.”
In addition to working on his craft, Snead took the time to help the younger players on the Staten Island roster who still only dreamed of getting to where he had been. He encouraged them, gave them direction and focus, and a dose of reality.
Despite the good numbers, Snead spent the whole season with Staten Island and the ensuing offseason training at Driveline before opportunity knocked again. He’d pitched for several organizational reps in the spring, but only the Phillies called in May.
Snead hardly lights up a radar gun with a 91-mph fastball, but he’s left-handed and understands the art of pitching. He has successfully worked on getting more movement this year on his slider.
“He embraces contact,” Adamson said. “He has a little bit of funk to him, but he just fills up the zone. There has been a pretty large amount of swing and miss, which has been maybe a touch of surprise for me. But he embraces early contact.
“He really bounces back well. He’s super resilient, done kind of everything, pitched in all kinds of situations and is one of our most valuable guys. At times, we’ve had to protect him from himself. He wants to go out there all the time.”
Snead had a 0.00 ERA and .471 OPS in his last 10 appearances entering Thursday. He has pitched more than one inning in 12 of his 25 outings and allowed an earned run in only four of 25 stints.
“To have experienced last year and going through that in that time in my life,” Snead said, “and to even have the opportunity to go out and throw here, it’s weird. I never thought I’d be out here again.
“I just keep the mindset of not getting too down.”
That was hard for a year or so leading up to May and after that one rocky outing in early June. But Snead has stayed true to his word and the process of maintaining perspective and appreciation for what he has.
And, for those who teamed with him last year, what others so desperately want.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com