- Full name Steve Smyth
- Born 06/03/1978 in Brawley, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- Debut 08/06/2002
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Smyth led the Southern League in ERA and was on the verge of a callup in 2001 when he came down with shoulder problems. He had surgery to tighten his capsule and clean up fraying in his rotator cuff, which also cost him the first month of the 2002 season. While he made his big league debut last year, Smyth's stuff didn't come quite all the way back and he was exhausted by the end of the season. His command was fine as usual, but his fastball usually sat at 87-89 mph, down from the low 90s. He throws both a slider and curveball, and his breaking pitches were breaking too early. Smyth also has an average changeup. He got shelled with the Cubs, especially by righthanders, who hit .351 and slugged .727 against him. Given the winter to rest and put the surgery further behind him, he should be at full strength again in 2003. Chicago has signed lefties Shawn Estes, Mark Guthrie and Mike Remlinger as free agents this offseason, which probably means Smyth is destined for Triple-A. -
The Cubs figured Smyth would make a decent lefthanded set-up man when they drafted him in 1999, and he didn't help his cause for the rotation by posting a 6.09 ERA in 15 starts in his pro debut. But in the last two years his velocity has jumped and he now projects as the lefty starter they've been looking for. He led the Southern League in ERA last year, and probably would have been called up when Chicago was desperate for starters in August if he hadn't had shoulder problems. He had surgery to tighten his capsule and clean up some fraying in his rotator cuff. Before he went down, Smyth was throwing 91-93 mph. Besides his fastball, he also has a slider, cutter and changeup, and all of his pitches are average or better. He's lagging a little behind in his rehabilitation and may not be ready to go at the start of spring training. As a result, the Cubs traded to get Jesus Sanchez from the Marlins in the offseason to make sure they have a southpaw starter. Once he's healthy, Smyth will go to Triple-A and shouldn't have any trouble elbowing Sanchez aside when he's ready. -
Smyth was part of an all-prospect Daytona rotation--the others were Juan Cruz, John Webb, Mike Wuertz and Matt Bruback--that swept through the Florida State League playoffs with a perfect 5-0 record. Smyth did his part, twirling six shutout innings to win the second game of the finals. The Cubs projected him as a reliever when they drafted him a year earlier, and he did nothing to dispel that notion by posting a 6.09 ERA in 15 starts in his debut. Though he saved the FSL all-star game last year, he made a case for remaining a starter. Smyth throws four pitches for strikes. He features a consistently low-90s fastball and a slider, and he also throws a changeup and cut fastball. He limited lefthanders to a .198 batting average in 2000, so he always can fall back on a role as a lefty specialist. For now, he'll remain in the rotation and move up to Double-A.