Kevin Smith 2021

[Frobby]

He starts tonight, and has a pretty tough act to follow after the performances of Hall (4.1 IP, 0 R, 10 K’s) and Bradish (4.2 IP, 0 R, 7 K’s).  Looking forward to seeing what he’s got!

[Just Regular]

Continues the 0 R tradition.

He was good in 6 Eastern League starts in 2019, so I hope he isn't there long.   Developmentally I feel he's more like Lowther/Wells than Hall/Bradish.

Broadly speaking assignment wise, I feel like Elias has picked the "Easy" setting for almost everyone.

[Tony-OH]

First impressions:

I watched Smith's start tonight and the first thing that stands out is his command of his slider. He really can use that for strikes and to get batters to chase. It's his best pitch overall and although his stuff overall is average at best, his ability to command a solid average major league slider around the strike zone and just off really helps his stuff play. According to the announcers he was 91-92 with his fastball and that looks about right. It plays up a little with batters looking for the slider, but he'll need to be fine with the pitch as it doesn't have great velocity or movement, though he does get some arm side run. I only saw a handful if changes and he did throw a couple good ones. 

Smith doesn't look like he has the raw stuff to be more than a 5th starter, but his command may help him maximize that projection. Worse case he looks like a Paul Fry like reliever though Fry does throw a bit harder. 

He'll be interesting to watch pitch this year to see if he has this command more times than not.

[Ruzious]

His high spin rate should also help his fastball.  The slider lets him dominate lefties, but he needs that changeup to be good against righties.  His odd delivery might help make him very effective as a reliever.  

[Yardball85]

The 24 year-old lefthander the Orioles acquired from New York for Miguel Castro, Kevin Smith has been extremely solid this year.  17 IP, 22 strikeouts, 1.06 ERA in Bowie.  Number 16 on mlb.com top prospects.

Looking forward to continue following his season. 

[Frobby]

There’s already a thread by the same title, though the other one hadn’t been updated in three weeks.  Perhaps the mods can combine them.   

Smith has kind of flown under the radar, partly because he hasn’t thrown 5 innings in any game, and partly because his strikeout numbers, while good, aren’t as gaudy as those put up by Hall and Bradish.   But you really can’t argue with a 1.06 ERA and 11.6 K/9.
 

[Ruzious]

Smith and Peralta (also 24) are both off to terrific starts at Bowie.  Peralta with a 1.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 21 SO's in 14 innings.  Neither will be innings eaters, but maybe the thing to do is use them as 3 or 4 innings pitchers - probably how the O's should use Lopez.  Instead of forcing these guys into roles they'll likely fail in, use them in roles they can succeed in.       

I mean... aren't the O's already using 5 or so pitchers a game - a lot because our starters get killed in the 5th inning, and we don't have a long reliever to go in there?  Why keep doing things the same way when you're in last place... again.  

[Yardball85]

21 hours ago, Frobby said:

There’s already a thread by the same title, though the other one hadn’t been updated in three weeks.  Perhaps the mods can combine them.   

Smith has kind of flown under the radar, partly because he hasn’t thrown 5 innings in any game, and partly because his strikeout numbers, while good, aren’t as gaudy as those put up by Hall and Bradish.   But you really can’t argue with a 1.06 ERA and 11.6 K/9.
 

Ah, didn't know that. Thank you.  Yes, let's combine them if we can. 

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Ruzious said:

Smith and Peralta (also 24) are both off to terrific starts at Bowie.  Peralta with a 1.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 21 SO's in 14 innings.  Neither will be innings eaters, but maybe the thing to do is use them as 3 or 4 innings pitchers - probably how the O's should use Lopez.  Instead of forcing these guys into roles they'll likely fail in, use them in roles they can succeed in.       

I mean... aren't the O's already using 5 or so pitchers a game - a lot because our starters get killed in the 5th inning, and we don't have a long reliever to go in there?  Why keep doing things the same way when you're in last place... again.  

You get the feeling the Baysox could beat our Major League club right now in a 7 game series. 

[Ruzious]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

You get the feeling the Baysox could beat our Major League club right now in a 7 game series. 

Yeah, let them have Bradish back, and their pitching might be better, and they're certainly better at catcher.  I kid, but not so much.    

[Sports Guy]

He piggybacked on Grayson tonight..went 4 innings.  3 hits, 1 BB, 7 Ks and no runs.  He got the save.

ERA is .86

[orioles22]

I love the three- or four-inning saves. I wonder if they might combine those two in the future since Bowie seems to have quite a few starters.

[Yardball85]

Great job by Smith.  I assume the organization still views him as a starter, and he was just "pushed out" by Grayson?  Not a bad problem to have.

[wildcard]

7 hours ago, orioles22 said:

I love the three- or four-inning saves. I wonder if they might combine those two in the future since Bowie seems to have quite a few starters.

The bullpen could be full of these three and four inning guys next year.   Means, Grayson and Hall in the rotation there so many player competing for the 4th and 5th spot that the pen will have an overflow.   Baumann, Bradish, Kremer, Akin, Zimmermann, Smith, Lowther,  T. Wells, and Sceroler

[Just Regular]

2 hours ago, Yardball85 said:

Great job by Smith.  I assume the organization still views him as a starter, and he was just "pushed out" by Grayson?  Not a bad problem to have.

I think that was a straight tandem start, which does make the interesting question of who gets the Tuesday-Sunday gig next week on the road against a bad team, before back at home.

Anyway, Smith had a fine AA cup of coffee in 2019.   When I imagine what his 2020 might have been, it was probably consolidating most of the year there.  He had a box to check in May 2021 with his personal setting on "Easy" like everyone else's, and I suppose also the tandem could have been so he would be on proper rest to pitch for AAA next Tuesday (believe Norfolk had a goofy bullpen game last night as Lowther was borrowed).

Rooting for Lowther to stick as Swing Oriole, and Smith/Rodriguez to both start Tuesday.