Professional Career
After being a standout pitcher at Caesar Rodney High School, Snell made his professional debut with the rookie league Gulf Coast Pirates in 2000 following being selected by the Pirates in the 26th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He made his debut on July 17, pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief against the GCL Expos.
In 2001, Snell split the season between the GCL Pirates and the Short Season-A New York - Penn League, Williamsport Crosscutters.
Snell played the 2002 season with the South Atlantic League Champion Hickory Crawdads, a Single-A club. There he ranked fourth among league pitchers in strikeouts and seventh in ERA.
In 2003, when Snell went 14-4 with a 3.00 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 26 minor league starts, split between Single-A Lynchburg and Double-A Altoona, he was named the Pirates organizational Pitcher-of-the-Year.
Snell spent the majority of his 2004 season with the Altoona Curve. He set a single-season team record and finished second in the league with 142 strikeouts.
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