name: joseph smith
birthdate: 3/22/1984
age: 23
birthplace: cincinnati, ohio
height: 6,2
weight: 215
throws/bats: right
college: wright state
debut: opening day 2007
position: pitcher
role: bullpen, set up man
years pro: rookie
throwingtype: low side arm/ high submarine
warm up song: "so cold" by breaking benjamin
pitches: sinking fastball (a combination between a fastball and a sinker), slider, change up
stats (so far) : 31 apperances, 2-0 record, 2.51 era, 31 strike outs, in 28 2/3 ip
we all know by now that joe smith is no avg joe i mean look at his stats i mean look at the numbers he's put up for the mets this year. this rookie phenom has been a huge part of this mets bullpen after the losses of duaner sanchez and mota. this young man is on fire and deserves the first addition of BD's mets players of the week.
history: (courtesy of wikipedia.com)
Joseph "Joe" Smith (born March 22, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a right-handed pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He is 6'2" and weighs 215 lbs. He graduated from Wright State University and was drafted by the Mets in the 3rd round of the June 2006 amateur draft.
College years
As a junior in high school he was an All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference honoree. Smith then had shoulder surgery his senior year of high school. As a result he was unable to make his college baseball team his freshman year . He did make the team as a walk-on in 2004. WSU assistant coach Greg Lovelady suggested Smith should drop down to a side-arm delivery, which usually adds movement and subtracts velocity.
Pitching ****/strong>Smith's pitching ****is different from most. According to hitters, he will come at you from 3rd base. His release point is about 8:30 on the analog 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. His fastball can even be considered a sinker because of its hard acting downward movement. He routinely gets ground balls because of this. Other pitches he throws include a slider and a changeup.
Professional Career
Joe Smith first began his career with Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League by allowing two runs, one earned in 1.0 inning of work against the Staten Island Yankees on June 21. He was named one of the top 20 prospects in the New York-Penn League by Baseball America. When Duaner Sánchez was hurt during a taxi cab incident in 2006, Mets manager Willie Randolph considered bringing up Smith to the Majors. Instead, the Mets traded for Roberto Hernández and Oliver Pérez to give Smith more time in the minors. On March 24, 2007, after a strong spring training, it was announced Smith would be on the Mets' 25-man roster. On April 1, 2007, Smith made his major league debut. He struck out one (Preston Wilson) and walked one (Albert Pujols). He also gave up a single to David Eckstein. Smith earned his first major league win on April 24, 2007 after coming on in relief in the 12th inning
so now you know all about the mets finest young pitchers and soon smith will be one of the best setup men baseball will ever see