Drew Smyly: A Baseball Reference

Drew Smyly was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR).

Who is Drew Smyly?

Drew Smyly is a American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs He bats and throws left-handed.

Smyly’s early years

Drew Smyly was born on June 13, 1989, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He played high school baseball at Southview High School in Sylvania, Ohio. Smyly was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his professional debut that year with the Connecticut Defenders of the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League. In 2011, he played for the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Class A Midwest League and the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.

Smyly’s college career

Drew Smyly began his college career at the University of Arkansas. In his freshman year, he appeared in 26 games, starting 10 of them. He had a 6-3 record with a 4.42 ERA. In his sophomore year, Smyly moved into the starting rotation full-time. He made 17 starts, compiling a 7-4 record and a 3.42 ERA. Smyly’s junior year was his best yet, as he posted a 9-3 record and 2.54 ERA in 15 starts. He was named to the All-SEC first team and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award which is given to the best amateur baseball player in the country.

Smyly’s professional career

Drew Smyly was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft He made his professional debut that same year with the West Michigan Whitecaps Detroit’s Class A affiliate in the Midwest League, and was promoted to the Erie SeaWolves of the Class AA Eastern League in 2011. Smyly was added to Detroit’s 40-man roster following the 2011 season.

Smyly made his Major League debut on April 14, 2012, pitching one scoreless inning of relief against the Cleveland Indians He recorded his first Major League win on May 16, pitching six shutout innings in relief against the Kansas City Royals Smyly made 13 starts for Detroit during his rookie season and finished with a 4-3 record and 3.69 ERA. He began the 2013 season in Detroit’s starting rotation but was optioned to Erie on May 15 after making five starts.

Smyly’s pitching repertoire

Drew Smyly is a left-handed starting pitcher who is currently a free agent He has previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays Detroit Tigers Chicago Cubs Philadelphia Phillies Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants

Smyly throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, and curveball. His fastball averages 90 mph, and his cutter and changeup both hover around 85 mph. He has been known to throw a knuckle curveball as well.

Smyly’s career statistics

Drew Smyly is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies

Smyly made his MLB debut in 2012. As a member of the Tigers’ bullpen that season, he appeared in 15 games and had a 1–0 win–loss record with a 4.42 earned run average (ERA) in 16 innings pitched The following season, he started 11 games for the Tigers before being traded to the Mariners midseason. Smyly missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery In 2015, he rejoined the Rays as a starting pitcher. Over parts of six seasons in MLB, Smyly has pitched to a 34–34 win–loss record with 527 strikeouts and a 4.10 ERA across 555 innings pitched.

Smyly’s postseason experience

Smyly has made four postseason appearances in his career, all in relief. In those four games, he’s pitched 4.2 innings and given up five hits, two walks, and one earned run. He also has six strikeouts in those four appearances.

Smyly’s injury history

Drew Smyly has had a long history of injuries, dating back to his time in the minor leagues. In 2012, he missed time with elbow tendinitis. The following year, he had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. In 2014, he missed most of the season with shoulder tendinitis. 2015 was a relatively healthy year for Smyly, but he missed time in 2016 with arm soreness and again in 2017 with a strained oblique muscle.

What’s next for Smyly?

What’s next for Smyly? The Tampa Bay Rays left-hander is a free agent this offseason, and he’s sure to garner interest from a number of teams. He’s coming off a solid season in which he posted a 3.24 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 30 starts. He also struck out 172 batters in 176.2 innings pitched.

Conclusion

Smyly has been good, but unspectacular, in his two years with the Mariners. He owns a 4.42 ERA in his career with Seattle, which is a bit higher than the league average during that span. However, his peripherals suggest he’s been a bit unlucky and he’s actually pitched better than his ERA suggests. In fact, Smyly has been one of the most unlucky pitchers in baseball over the last two years.