Will Smith (baseball)
| Will Smith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Smith with the Kansas City Royals | |||
| Milwaukee Brewers – No. 13 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
|
Born: July 10, 1989 Newnan, Georgia | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 23, 2012, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2015 season) | |||
| Win–loss record | 16–15 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.96 | ||
| Strikeouts | 279 | ||
| Teams | |||
| |||
William Michael "Will" Smith (born July 10, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals in 2012 and 2013.
Career
Smith attended Northgate High School in Newnan, Georgia, where he played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher.[1] He enrolled at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida, where he continued his baseball career. After his freshman year at Gulf Coast, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Smith in the seventh round, with the 229th overall selection, of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.[2]
Making his professional debut with the Orem Owlz of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, Smith recorded 76 strikeouts while walking only six batters. He pitched for the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Class A Midwest League in 2009, and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2010.[3] On July 23, 2010, the Angels traded Smith along with Sean O'Sullivan to the Kansas City Royals for Alberto Callaspo.[4]
Pitching for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League in 2011, Smith and Kelvin Herrera combined to pitch a no-hitter on July 19, with Smith pitching the first seven innings.[5] Smith began the 2012 season with the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. The Royals promoted Smith to the majors for the first time on May 22, 2012.[6] During the 2013 season, the Royals transitioned Smith into a relief pitcher.
Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Norichika Aoki on December 5, 2013.[7] Smith had a 1-3 win-loss record and a 3.70 earned run average (ERA) in 2014.[8] On May 21, 2015, he was ejected from a game vs the Atlanta Braves for having a foreign substance on his right arm.[9] Smith will be suspended for eight games, pending his appeal.[10] On June 5, 2015, his suspension was reduced from eight games to six games, effective that same day.[11] Smith had a 7-2 win-loss record and a 2.70 ERA in 2015.[12]
During spring training in 2016, Smith tore the lateral collateral ligament in his knee.[13]
References
- ↑ "Former Northgate pitcher Smith 2-1 in rookie league - The Newnan Times-Herald". Times-herald.com. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ↑ Milner, Brad (June 6, 2008). "Angels snag Smith: Gulf Coast freshman ready to begin professional baseball career". Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Did the Angels give up too much in Will Smith?". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Angels get Callaspo for two pitchers". ESPN.com. July 23, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Second straight no-hitter in Kansas City Royals' farm system - ESPN". Espn.go.com. July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Royals select contract of left-handed pitcher Will Smith from Omaha" (Press release). MLB.com. May 22, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ↑ Dutton, Bob. "Royals get outfielder Aoki from Brewers for Will Smith". Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ Haudricourt, Tom. "Will Smith fond of relief role with Brewers". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Brewers' Will Smith ejected for foreign substance on arm". USA TODAY. May 21, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Will Smith of Milwaukee Brewers suspended 8 games for foreign substance". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Will Smith suspension reduced six games". MLB.com. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ Haudricourt, Tom. "Will Smith, expected to be Brewers co-closer, has sore knee examined". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Brewers reliever Will Smith has torn knee ligament". Retrieved March 27, 2016.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Will Smith on Twitter