Devin Smeltzer signs Minor League Pact with The Fish

I wish him the best, but I won't miss him. Not enough velo to make it work. When he was hitting his spots, he was average at best...when he wasn't, he got lit up pretty good.

16 minutes ago, CRF said:

I wish him the best, but I won't miss him. Not enough velo to make it work. When he was hitting his spots, he was average at best...when he wasn't, he got lit up pretty good.

Yeah, but I'll miss him more than Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy. What I certainly won't miss? That Bundy, Archer, and Smelter started about a dozen more games than Gray, Ryan, and Ober (or Winder) last year. Those three were pretty much unwatchable for me.

25 minutes ago, CRF said:

I wish him the best, but I won't miss him. Not enough velo to make it work. When he was hitting his spots, he was average at best...when he wasn't, he got lit up pretty good.

I also wish him the best and won't really be missed, but lets not forget he had 6 quality starts in his 12 starts. Gray had 9 in 24, and Ryan 11 in 27, so average at best might not be accurate (he only gave up 3 or more runs in 4 times last year). He is never going to be a star in the league but I am not sure you could ask for a better AAAA starter.

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I really liked Devin and thought he pitched well last year.  At the MLB level he worked to a 3.70 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.  Those are nice numbers but his K rate was really, really low.  I am guessing that is why the Twins were able to get him through waivers, as most teams felt they had something better on their 40 than Smeltzer.

While I am happy he found a team in Miami to take him in, it is really going to be tough to break in to that rotation unless they have several injuries.  Still, good for him.  I will always root for him and enjoyed watching him pitch for the Twins.   

He showed that you dont have to throw 97+ to be effective.  

6 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I also wish him the best and won't really be missed, but lets not forget he had 6 quality starts in his 12 starts. Gray had 9 in 24, and Ryan 11 in 27, so average at best might not be accurate (he only gave up 3 or more runs in 4 times last year). He is never going to be a star in the league but I am not sure you could ask for a better AAAA starter.

We had that many games Baldy let the pitcher complete, and the pitcher could complete 6 innings? Not that is is a lot, but it still surprises me.

They should turn him into Richard Bleier 2.0

47 minutes ago, CRF said:

I wish him the best, but I won't miss him. Not enough velo to make it work. When he was hitting his spots, he was average at best...when he wasn't, he got lit up pretty good.

This is the crux of the matter. If he pitches perfectly he does well, but he has essentially no margin of error. If he's the least bit off he is extremely hittable.

hey good for him. seemed like a nice dude and had stretches where he was decent. 

I really like him. I hope he pitches against us someday and we light him up. Lol 

Good luck to Smeltzer.  I hope he can keep living the dream.

He's a lefty. Would be a solid long guy. The flip ws that he ws eligible to become a free agent if no one grabbed him for their own 40-man.

Good luck to him. I hear that Miami is short a pitcher now.

On 1/24/2023 at 4:56 PM, TwinsDr2021 said:

He is never going to be a star in the league but I am not sure you could ask for a better AAAA starter.

My first thought upon seeing the Smeltzer news was that he's a perfect example of an AAAA guy. Nice guy to have on a shuttle, especially in July if you're looking to get your aces a day off here and there. 

Smeltzer was the last surviving piece of the Brian Dozier trade (with Luke Raley and Kevin Forsyth both being long gone).

The guy's carved out a nice career for himself. Well done indeed.  

He was a lefty, which is always a nice option to have. Plus he could pitch multiple innings. I'm sue he would like to remain a starter, but anyway you can get (and stay) in the majors, someone should take. He would've been an excellent backup at AAA (shades of Derek Rodriguez and Chi Chi). Still young. You go for the opportunity.

I thought he did a decent job and could give good innings. Hopefully he will make the majors with Miami but don't expect him to start unless injuries come up.