PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. _ Cy Young award winner Blake Snell said throwing his first bullpen session of camp wasn't anything special though he was pleased with his work.
He was excited, however, to start the process of throwing to, and then talking with, new catcher Mike Zunino, a trade acquisition from the Seattle Mariners.
"It was cool," Snell said. "Just kind of starting to get to understand each other, what I like to do and what he saw, so it was cool to just go back-and-forth on me helping him, and him helping me. I was very happy about it."
Snell, who has worked with a variety of catchers, said the acclimation period can vary.
"For him, he's very into it, so it could be as soon as when spring is over, it could be middle of the spring," Snell said. "It all depends on our relationship as 1) just friends, and 2) how hard do we want to work with each other to get to the place we want to get.
"I'm already very comfortable talking to him. He's very open, which is awesome to see. It feels like we've known each other for a while with the way that we talk. ... For him to come in here and be as open and outgoing as he is right away is awesome to see. I like what he had to say back to me and I'm excited to see the relationship between us grow."
