Joe Smith (pitcher)

Joseph Smith, born March 22nd, 1984, is a minor league pitcher in the New York Mets orginization. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Wright State University. He throws and bats right handed. He's 6'2 and weighs 205 lbs. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2006 MLB draft in June. He will compete for a spot in the bullpen this spring training.

According to BaseballAmerica.com, Smith is number 9 on the top 10 prospects in the Mets orginization.

College Years

As a high school senior, Smith had shoulder surgery and couldn't make the team in his first year at college. He was a walk on in 2004. WSU assistant coach Greg Lovelady suggested Smith should drop down to a side-arm delivery (usually adds movement and subtracts velocity).

Pitching Style

Smith's pitching style is different from most. According to hitters, he will come at you from 3rd base. His release point is about 8:30 on the non-digital clock, lower than side armed, and higher than submarine. Smith's fastball usually is at 88-91 mph and has been known to hit 94 mph. He also throws a nasty slider and his changeup has improved this spring as well. Hitters have trouble picking up his pitches, as evidenced by his regular-season 0.75 ERA.

Duaner Sanchez incident

When Duaner Sanchez was hurt during a taxi cab incident, Mets manager Willie Randolph considered bringing up Smith to the Majors Instead, the Mets traded for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to give Smith more time in the minors.

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