Steven Delton Smyth (born June 3, 1978) 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 ...
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 ...
. He played in
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), ...
for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
in their
2002 season.
Amateur career
A native of
Brawley, California
Brawley (formerly, Braly) is a city in the Imperial Valley and within Imperial County, southern California, United States.
The population was 24,953 at the 2010 census, up from 22,052 in 2000. The town has a significant cattle and feed industr ...
, Smyth attended the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. In 1998, he played
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
for the
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
He was selected by the Cubs in the 4th round of the
1999 MLB Draft.
Professional career
Smyth spent five years (1999–2003) with the Chicago organization before joining the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
(2004) and
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
(2004–2005)
Minor League
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
systems. After that, he played for the independent
San Diego Surf Dawgs
The San Diego Surf Dawgs are an independent professional baseball team representing San Diego, California, that played for two seasons in the Golden Baseball League, based out of San Ramon, California, and then later in the short-season instructi ...
of the
Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the orga ...
in part of two seasons spanning 2006–2006. He played winter ball with the
Leones del Caracas
The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...
club of the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year.
History Early years
Baseball exp ...
in 2006.
Smyth then pitched for several Minor League teams the next two years, appearing with the independent
Edmonton Cracker-Cats
The Edmonton Capitals, originally the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, were a Canadian professional independent minor league baseball team that played between 2005 and 2011 in several leagues.
The Capitals are based in Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently ...
and
Long Beach Armada
The Long Beach Armada were an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League (GBL), which was not affiliated wi ...
in 2008, during what turned out to be his last career season. Overall, he posted a 46-39 record with a 4.51
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 ...
in 145 minor league games,
striking out
''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...
562 batters while
walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...
332 in 751
innings of work.
Personal
After leaving baseball, Smyth became a firefighter.
References
, o
Retrosheet o
Pura Pelota (VPBL)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Steve
1978 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
American sportspeople in doping cases
Baseball players from California
Chicago Cubs players
Cypress Chargers baseball players
Daytona Cubs players
Edmonton Cracker-Cats players
Eugene Emeralds players
Greenville Braves players
Iowa Cubs players
Lansing Lugnuts players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Long Beach Armada players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Midland RockHounds players
People from Brawley, California
Rieleros de Aguascalientes players
Sacramento River Cats players
San Diego Surf Dawgs players
Stockton Ports players
Tomateros de Culiacán players
University of Southern California alumni
USC Trojans baseball players
Vaqueros Laguna players
West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players
Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players
York Revolution players
Chinatrust Whales players
American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan