Joe Smith

[Beanpot]

Courtesy of who else? Castro writes about our new sidearmer and how he developed his delivery:

 

Special delivery: Smith a fit with Tribe

Finally landing with Indians, sidearmer competing for setup chances

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

 

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- It began with a dare, of sorts.

 

Joe Smith was a Wright State junior, tossing on the side, when his pitching coach, Greg Lovelady, had him try, well, tossing on the side.

 

"I was just goofing around with my coach, pretty much," Smith recalled. "He's like, 'You can't do this.' I said I could. He said, 'If you can do this, you'll be a closer.' So I said, 'All right.'"

 

Smith bent at the waist, crooked his right elbow way back, then whipped his arm around the side of his body, parallel to the ground. He and Lovelady both liked what they saw.

 

And that's how Smith, then 21, discovered he was a sidearm pitcher. Just a few months later, the Mets had obviously taken notice, as they selected Smith with their third-round pick of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

 

"I just got more and more comfortable with [the delivery], threw the ball well and was drafted," Smith said. "Every year, it gets a little more comfortable."

 

Now, the 24-year-old Smith has to get comfortable in his new surroundings. During the Winter Meetings, the Indians traded for Smith and infielder Luis Valbuena in the three-team, 12-player deal that sent Franklin Gutierrez to the Mariners.

 

But that wasn't the first time the Indians had shown an interest in Smith. They liked him during his Wright State days, too.

 

"That's what they told me," Smith said with a smile. "They said, 'We wanted to draft you.' So I said, 'Well, why didn't you?'"

 

Yes, the Indians might have been a little late in acquiring Smith, but they nonetheless have plans for him this year. He's headed straight to their big league bullpen, where he'll vie for chances to set up closer Kerry Wood.

 

Breaking camp with the big league club is nothing new for Smith. He did so with the Mets in 2007, less than a year after he was drafted. He split his time between the bigs and Triple-A New Orleans that year, making 54 appearances in the Majors and posting a 3-2 record and 3.45 ERA.

 

Last year, Smith spent the entire season in the Mets' bullpen, going 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 82 appearances. He struck out 52 and walked 31 in 63 1/3 innings. He only let 11 of 63 inherited runners score -- the second-best mark in the National League and the sixth-best in the Majors.

 

Indeed, the kid who showed up at Wright State without a scholarship and was cut from the baseball team his freshman year has certainly come a long way in a hurry.

 

"I was hoping it was going to be that quick," he said with a laugh. "But the chances of that happening are so slim. The Mets gave me a chance to pitch up in the big leagues. Fortunately, I did all right in my first year and got a little better my second year. Hopefully this year I can keep it going."

 

Smith will certainly have the opportunity to do so, though it remains to be seen how manager Eric Wedge chooses to use him. Smith is quickly growing the reputation as a matchup guy, because his numbers against right-handers (.223 average against, 34 walks and 77 strikeouts in 357 plate appearances) have been strong, while his numbers against lefties (.309, 18 and 20 in 119) have been suspect.

 

Wedge will get a feel for Smith's role this spring.

 

"I don't think we need to pigeon-hole the guy as just a right-on-right guy," Wedge said. "I want to take a look at him and see what he has to offer against right-handers and left-handers. He's a young pitcher who's moved quickly. I want to give him every opportunity [to face both]."

 

Smith asked for that opportunity when he had his meeting with Wedge and general manager Mark Shapiro at the outset of camp.

 

"I told them I'd like to see a lot of lefties in Spring Training," he said. "They said, 'We totally agree.' That way, if a lefty comes up in a situation, I'll feel comfortable, as opposed to facing one a week or one every two weeks."

 

Smith, a Cincinnati native, feels a certain amount of comfort in an Indians clubhouse that includes two pitchers -- Jensen Lewis and Scott Lewis -- he opposed in high school. In fact, Smith and Jensen Lewis were in the same conference in high school and also played summer ball together.

 

"Now we're in the same bullpen," Smith said. "That's nuts."

 

When his college coach pushed him to try the sidearm delivery, Smith thought that was pretty nuts, too. But it's certainly paid off, to this point.

 

Of course, pitchers who use the sidearm are considered a greater injury risk, because of the stress the delivery puts on the elbow. Twins reliever Pat Neshek, as an example, injured his elbow last May and will miss all of this season following Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

 

Smith, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum before his senior year of high school, knows the risks, but he's also seen the benefits.

 

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Beanpot