Matthew J. Smith (born June 15, 1979) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
. He was a left-handed
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
who graduated from
Bishop Gorman High School
Bishop Gorman High School (also commonly referred to as Gorman High School or BGHS) is a private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic preparatory school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Ve ...
, where he played baseball. He was a 3-year letter winner and is the all-time leader in strikeouts (348) at OSU and was named to the Big 12 Second Team twice and First Team once. One of his favorite hobbies is golf.
He was drafted in the 44th round (1310th overall) in the
1997 Major League Baseball draft
The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds.
First round selections ...
by the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, but did not sign and attended
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. He was drafted again in the 4th round in the
2000 Major League Baseball draft
First round selections
Compensation picks
Background
The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...
by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
.
He split the 2005 season with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the
Trenton Thunder
The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...
, and the Triple-A affiliate, the
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...
. In 47 games, he pitched 82 innings, posting a 2.65
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
and a (5-4) record. Smith made his major-league debut on April 14, 2006, against the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
and recorded one out before being removed from the game.
Smith,
C.J. Henry
Carl Joshua Henry, Jr. (born May 31, 1986) is an American former basketball and professional baseball player. Henry played in minor league baseball, minor and independent baseball and in college for the Southern Nazarene University men's basketb ...
, and two other minor league players were traded in July 2006 by the Yankees to the Phillies in exchange for
Bobby Abreu
Bob Kelly Abreu (; ; born March 11, 1974), nicknamed "El Comedulce" and also "La Leche", is a Venezuelans, Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies ...
and
Cory Lidle
Cory Fulton Lidle (March 22, 1972 – October 11, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Lidle played in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Ja ...
. Smith pitched in 14 games for the Phillies in 2006.
In 2007, Smith pitched in nine games for the Phillies, compiling an 11.25 ERA before being optioned to the Triple-A
Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...
in late April. Smith went 2–1 with a 2.60 ERA and one save before being placed on the disabled list retroactively to June 13. Smith underwent
Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
on July 4, 2007. Smith was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
on January 4, 2008, and released, but was later re-signed to a minor league contract and invited to
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
on January 15. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in January . Smith was released by the Cubs after the 2009 spring training season.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Matt
1979 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arizona Diamondbacks scouts
Bishop Gorman High School alumni
Baseball players from Nevada
Clearwater Threshers players
Columbus Clippers players
Greensboro Bats players
Florida Complex League Phillies players
Los Angeles Dodgers scouts
Major League Baseball pitchers
New York Yankees players
Norwich Navigators players
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players
Ottawa Lynx players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Staten Island Yankees players
Tampa Yankees players
Trenton Thunder players
San Diego Padres scouts
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players