Michael Anthony Smith (born September 19, 1977) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who played for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
and
Minnesota Twins of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB), and the
Brother Elephants
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
of the
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
(CPBL).
Career
Smith played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
for the
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...
. In 1999, he played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Hyannis Mets
The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in the 5th round of the
2000 MLB Draft. He played in 14 games for the Blue Jays in 2002, starting six and posting an earned run average of 6.62. The
Minnesota Twins acquired Smith from the
Philadelphia Phillies during the 2005-2006 offseason, but he was not on the Twins' 40-man roster. However, inconsistent pitching from
Scott Baker and
Boof Bonser
John Paul "Boof" Bonser (born October 14, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Oakland Athletics.
High school career
Bonser attended Gi ...
and shoulder problems for
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke (born October 27, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in ...
prompted the Twins to call him up to the
major leagues on August 2, 2006.
Smith signed with the
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...
of the
Atlantic League for the 2009 season, but left to pitch in Asia. He plays for the
Brother Elephants
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
team in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
's
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
(CPBL).
For the 2010 season, Mike played for the
Brockton Rox
The Brockton Rox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Formerly a professional baseball franchise, the Rox were a member of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, fr ...
of the
Can-Am.
Rangers 10, Twins 2
He led the Cam-Am in wins and ERA, going 12–3 with a 2.87 ERA in 125.1 innings. He was named to the Cam-Am All-Star Team, along with teammates Melvin Falu, Mike Wlodarczyk, and Chris Grossman. The four Rox players were the most named to the All-Star team out of any other team in the Can-Am.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mike
1977 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan
Azucareros del Este players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Brother Elephants players
Baseball players from Massachusetts
Brockton Rox players
Caribes de Anzoátegui players
Caribes de Oriente players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Charleston AlleyCats players
American expatriate baseball players in Italy
Grosseto Baseball Club players
Hyannis Harbor Hawks players
Lobos de Arecibo players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Memphis Redbirds players
Minnesota Twins players
People from Norwood, Massachusetts
Queens Kings players
Reading Phillies players
Richmond Spiders baseball players
Rochester Red Wings players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players
Syracuse SkyChiefs players
Tennessee Smokies players
Toronto Blue Jays players
York Revolution players