William Malone

What’s from this piece? Do you disagree with? Let’s have an actual discussion. It’s fine if you disagree. I want to know why you disagree. Let’s have a discussion.

What do you disagree with? If you read it, certainly, you’ll be able to have a discussion about it

And yet they have the ninth best record in baseball since Falvey came. I understand that’s not the goal. The goal is to be first. But if ninth best is a team of AAA players than what are the 21 teams who are worse?

What exactly do you disagree with from my peace? You clearly disagree. Let’s have an open discussion. What specifically do you disagree with? I assume you read it. At least I hope you read it. If you didn’t read it, you’re just proving my point of complaining for the sake of complaining.

As I mentioned, you have the right to complain. Just complain about things worth complaining about. Don’t make up things to complain about.

Hello, fellow humans! My name is William Malone IV. Son of William Malone III. And I come with great news! The baseball season is in full swing and the Minnesota Twins are back in action. I know some of the frontrunners are angry at their record, but the real fans are just happy to watch their favorite team play baseball. It's such a wonderful sport, and many of us have missed the greatness of the Twins for the winter months. These negative fans have some reason to be negative. Minnesota has not played well so far. But some of the complaints are just hollow and fake. So if you're going to complain, find something that's actually worth complaining about. Crying about Rocco Baldelli pulling Joe Ryan at 81 pitches is the latest example of fans complaining for the sake of complaining. So, it didn't work out. But did you watch any of the other 14 games across Major League baseball that day? It's a fairly normal occurrence. And yes, sometimes managers go against this practice. And many times, it doesn't work. On Saturday night, just hours after Joe Ryan was pulled against St. Louis, Griffin Canning of the New York Mets having an even better start. He was through five innings on 72 pitches, allowing only one run. Canning came out for the sixth inning, allowed the go-ahead run, and New York wound up falling to the Houston Astros. There is no right or wrong decision for these managers to make. No matter what they do, the players have to show up and do their jobs. They decide the outcomes. For every "losing" decision fans complain about, there's another manager who makes the opposite decision and still winds up losing. But most fans only watch their favorite team, and ignore the other 29. So they're missing out on all these "losing" decisions that other managers make. How many angry Twins fans turned around to watch the Mets blow that game against Houston with Carlos Mendoza making opposite decisions? Probably a pretty small number. The same thing goes for third base coaches. All 30 fan bases will insist that they have the worst third base coach. You see it all over social media every single time someone gets thrown out at home. "(insert name) is the WORST third base coach in the league!!!" But none of these fans watch the other 29 third base coaches to get a fair grasp on how their own coach actually stacks up. And whenever their opponent has a player thrown out at home, these same fans will never blame the opponent's third base coach. They'll just praise their outfielder for a great throw or their catcher for a great tag. It's only on the third base coach if it's their own team getting hosed at home. Nobody is saying you can't complain. Just complain about real issues. Not these made up issues when you have no real frame of reference to stack up your team against the other 29. You know what has been a problem for the Twins? Offense! Even if Baldelli had stuck with Ryan, and there's no guarantee that Ryan keeps putting up zeros, Minnesota would still have to score another run at some point. They never had the lead. It was a tie game. You can't win a 1-1 game without eventually scoring again, which the Twins never did. It's not illegal to score eight runs. Just do that! And all the managerial decisions get so much easier. And I know the pitching hasn't been great either, but hitting is probably more important. It's often easier to out slug your opponent than to try and win 3-2 or 2-1 games every night. The Seattle Mariners allowed the least runs in 2024. They also missed the playoffs. And you still need to slug your way through the playoffs against "playoff pitching." Remember that 2019 World Series with loaded rotations on paper? Strasburg, Scherzer and Corbin against Verlander, Cole and Greinke? The winning run totals in those seven games were 5, 12, 4, 8, 7, 7 and 6. And then the takeaway from fans across baseball was "you need a three headed rotation monster to win the World Series!"

Everyone had fond memories from Metrodome-era Jason Kubel. But do you remember when he resurfaced in 2014? Image courtesy of © Kim Klement-Imagn Images Jason Kubel had a complicated career. He was a very good player, but maybe fell a little short of meeting his high expectations as a top prospect. Kubel was once a top 20 prospect in all of baseball, turning himself from a 12th round pick into a guy who dominated every level of the minor league system. After driving in 100 minor league runs between Double-A and Triple-A during the 2004 season, Kubel made his much anticipated big league debut on August 31st of that year. About a month later, he was starting for them in the playoffs. After Minnesota was eliminated in the ALDS, they sent Kubel to the Arizona Fall League to get some more at-bats. That’s where he suffered a knee injury that ended his 2005 season before it even began. Kubel then Kubel slashed .241/.279/.386 across 73 big league games in 2006. Things slowly started to get better, and he eventually established himself as a capable designed hitter with a knack for hitting high-leverage grand slams. Kubel even got MVP votes in 2009, hitting .300 and driving in 103 runs for a division-winning Twins team. These are mostly good times. The years were full of several division titles and meaningful September baseball on a consistent basis. It’s an era of Twins baseball that fans look upon fondly. Nobody needs a history lesson on those years. But fans might need a quick refresher on Kubel’s 2014 return to Target Field. He had an injury-riddled 2011 season, missing all of June and most of July with a foot sprain. Kubel struggled after his return, batting .229 over his final 47 games of the season. He was just 4-for-28 (.143) with no extra-base hits in September, getting shut down for good with 13 games remaining. Minnesota quickly signed Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit in free agency. They were also high on 23-year-old Ben Revere and 24-year-old Chris Parmelee, who both debuted in 2011. This took away a lot of DH and corner outfield at-bats, paving the way for Kubel to walk as a free agent. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Kubel to a two-year contract that winter, and year one was great! He launched a career-high 30 home runs, and his 120 OPS+ was second only to his 2009 campaign. Year two was less successful, and the Diamondbacks designated Kubel for assignment in late August. He finished the year out by hitting .167 over an eight-game cup of coffee for the Cleveland Indians. This brought Kubel back to the Twins on a minor league deal. He was joined in camp by former Metrodome-era teammate Jason Bartlett, who also inked a minor league deal that winter. They both made the Opening Day roster, although Bartlett retired after three hitless appearances. Meanwhile, Kubel was a productive hitter out of the gate. He hit .288 in April, getting 19 starts and appearing in 22 of 24 games for the Twins that month. Minnesota was also playing pretty well, at least relative to some of their recent starts. They were 12-12 in April, compared to a collective 26-46 clip in the opening month over the previous three seasons. The clutch gene that fans loved Kubel for also made an appearance. His first RBI of the season was a game-tying double in the seventh inning of a game on April 2nd. It seemed like every hit was part of a rally, even if the team ultimately came up a bit short that day. Kubel’s first, and only, home run of the season came with the Twins down 4-0 in an April 9th game against Oakland. They came all the way back, only to fall in 11 innings. April ended, and Kubel had three hits with an RBI on May 1st, good for a 785 OPS on the season. It felt like this would be a fun redemption story for a Twins team that felt a bit more exciting than they had in previous seasons. But then the magic died for Kubel and the club. The RBI on May 1st was the last of his career, and he played 22 more games before ultimately being designated for assignment. Kubel ended things on a 0-for-26 skid at the plate, although that last hit could be called “clutch” by some. Down to their final strike, Kubel kept the game alive with a base hit against Seattle Mariners closer Fernando Rodney. Eduardo Escobar grounded out to end the game, and Kubel’s 0-for-3 the next day began his career-ending slide. He finished 2014 with a .607 OPS across 45 games, and he finished his big league career with a .777 OPS over ten seasons. His 42 home runs as a designated hitter are tied with David Oritz for the second most in Twins history. Nelson Cruz has the most, with 76. View full article

Hello, fellow humans! My name is William Malone IV. Son of William Malone III. And I come with great news! The baseball season has finally arrived. These games count, and it is glorious. A new season comes with new player. The Minnesota Twins have added wonderful players such as Harrison Bader and Ty France. They both impressed in their regular season debuts for the team, although in a losing effort. Sadly, roster space is not unlimited. New players means you need to say goodbye to others. Which can be sad. The great Max Kepler went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks in his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. A fantastic performance, helping fuel them to a 7-3 win against the Washington Nationals. This should come as no surprise to fans of the Twins, for they saw Kepler unleash countless games of brilliance during his time in the Twin Cities. This includes 11 walk-off plate appearances, which ties him with Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett for the most in club history. The amazing ability for Kepler to perform in the clutch went well beyond walk-off hits. Even in some of the games where he delivered a walk-off, Minnesota only found themselves in that position because Kepler had put the team on his back earlier. Let’s take a look at some of these unbelievable outings by our favorite German outfielder. June 18, 2019 - Some might call this one of the greatest bench performances in Twins history! Max Kepler did not start on June 18, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox. But he certainly finished, delivering a walk-off single in the 17th inning. It seemed like this marathon game was only destined to go 13 innings. Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 13th. But a game is never over when you have Kepler on your team! He came off the bench, and tied things up with a solo home run of his own. This helped extend the game, eventually leading to the 17th inning walk-off heroics. September 22, 2020 - All of the desperate Twins haters were celebrating in late-September of 2020. It seems like Minnesota was not going to defend their AL Central crown. They trailed the Chicago White Sox in a tight division race. But these haters did not account for the brilliance of Max Kepler, and his ability to put a team on his back in a playoff race. Kepler hit a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers on September 22, 2020. But this never would have happened if he didn’t hit a game tying home run in the eighth inning. June 14, 2024 vs Oakland Athletics - Fans of the Twins might remember that Max Kepler had a walk-off single against the Oakland Athletics on June 14, 2024. They were foolish to intentionally walk Carlos Correa with Mr. Clutch himself in the on-deck circle. But what you might forget is the three run homer Kepler launched in the sixth inning. Minnesota was trailing 4-1 after five innings. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay, known for his long leash with starting pitchers, could’ve called it a day for rookie right hander Mitch Spence. But they left him in, and Kepler took advantage of this disastrous mistake. He wound up hitting a three run homer against Spence in the sixth inning, tying the game at four.

Christopher Matthew Parmelee was born on February 24, 1988 in Long Beach, California. He was the Minnesota Twins first round draft choice out of Chino Hills High School in 2006, but had a very lackluster path trek through their minor league system. He had barely reached Double-A by the end of 2010, and was nowhere to be found on several "top prospect" lists. Parmelee then had a strong 2011 season with Double-A New Britain, and skipped Triple-A to be a September call-up late in the year. The former first round pick went 2-for-4 in his Major League debut on September 6, 2011. He had a two run double the next day, and began his career on a five game hit streak. After that hit streak ended, a new six game hit streak was born. Parmelee finished the month with a .355 batting average and a 1.035 OPS, appearing in 21 games for a 99 loss Twins squad. His breakout performance gave fans a small reason to watch otherwise meaningless games down the stretch. Ron Gardenhire penciled in Parmelee as his Opening Day first baseman in 2012, pushing former American League MVP Justin Morneau into a DH role. He appeared to pick up where he left off, hitting .294 with seven extra base hits in his first ten starts. However, the magic eventually died out. Parmelee was demoted to Triple-A with a .179 batting average on May 15th. He began tearing the cover off the ball in Rochester, kick-starting his reputation as a "Quad-A" player. Parmelee wound up splitting the 2012 season between Triple-A and the Majors, playing exactly 64 games at each level. His big league OPS was .671, stacked up against a 1.102 mark with the Red Wings. This is a trend that would continue for the rest of his career, even as he moved to other organizations later on. Minnesota designated Parmelee for assignment towards the end of spring training in 2014, opening a 40-man roster spot so Jason Kubel could make the Opening Day roster. He cleared waivers, and slashed .305/.378/.542 in 32 games at the Triple-A level. Parmelee did eventually find his was back onto the Twins roster, hitting .256/.307/.384 while in the big leagues. He was DFA'd for a second time after the season, and signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. During his time with the Twins, Parmelee was good for the occasional clutch home run. 13 of his 24 homers with the club came in either one run or tie game situations, including six in the eighth inning or later. The crown jewel of these was a walk-off shot against Andrew Miller of the Boston Red Sox on May 13, 2014. He tagged the Red Sox in a big spot once again a month later, hitting a tie breaking shot in the tenth inning against Koji Uehara at Fenway Park. Parmelee hit .314 in 63 games at the Triple-A level for Baltimore in 2015. This earned him a big league promotion, where he hit .217 in 32 games. He joined the New York Yankees farm system in 2016, slashing .500/.500/1.375 for the Bronx Bombers. However, this was just an eight plate appearance sample. The rest of that season was spent in Triple-A. He kept playing minor league ball through the 2019 season, but that brief 2016 stint with the Yankees was his final Major League stop. View full player

Andrew Jacob Cave was born on December 4, 1992 in Hampton, Virginia. The New York Yankees drafted him in round six of the 2011 MLB Draft. Cave was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2015 Rule-5 Draft, but got returned after not making their Opening Day roster in 2016. New York traded Cave to the Minnesota Twins for pitching prospect Luis Gil during spring training in 2018. Cave homered and stole a base in his Major League debut on May 19, 2018. He played 91 games for the Twins that season, slashing .265/.313/.473 with 13 home runs and 72 RBI. Those 13 home runs were traveling an average distance of 421 feet, per Statcast. This was the furthest of any non-Colorado Rockies player in 2018. Cave finished the 2018 particularly strong, ending the year on a seven game hit streak. Two of them were multi-hit games. He began 2019 as the Twins fourth outfielder, but it was sometimes hard to find at-bats for the left handed Cave to play with fellow left handed hitters Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario occupying two of the starting outfield spots. Marwin Gonzalez, a switch hitting utility man, was a better fit for many of these opportunities. This caused Cave to split the year between the Majors and Triple-A. He played 72 big league games for the Twins in 2019, slashing .258/.351/.455 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. A late season injury to Byron Buxton allowed Cave to make the playoff roster. He went 1-for-4 during the ALDS, appearing in two games. The pandemic shortened 2020 season wasn't great for Cave, who slashed .221/.285/.389 with four home runs and 15 RBI. Six of those RBI came within the Twins first three games of the year. He had a two run single against Lucas Giolito on Opening Day, then hit a grand slam off Reynaldo López two days later. His struggles continued in 2021, and the injury bug came around to make things worse. Cave hit .189/.249/.293 that season, missing almost three months due to a fracture in his back. Minnesota designated Cave for assignment after the season. He cleared waivers, and was optioned to Triple-A. Cave spent four months of 2022 in Triple-A with the St. Paul Saints, finally getting re-called in early August to help an injury riddled Twins team. He started out hot, begging the Major League portion of his season with a five game hit streak. This helped spark Minnesota to a few much needed wins in a tight playoff race, but both Cave and his teammates ultimately fell off in September. He was designated for assignment for a second time after the season, and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore waived Cave later in the off-season, the he was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Cave played 65 games for the Phillies in 2023, hitting .212 with five home runs. He went 1-for-3 in the postseason, making the final out of the Phillies season in game seven of the NLCS. Philadelphia traded Cave to the Colorado Rockies as spring training was wrapping up in 2024. Cave played a career high 123 games for the Rockies that season, batting .251 with seven home runs and 37 RBI. The Doosan Bears of the KBO signed Cave for the 2025 season. View full player

Jason Ramond Maxwell was born on March 26, 1972 in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The Chicago Cubs selected him in round 74 of the 1993 MLB Draft out of Middle Tennessee State University. Maxwell first reached the Majors in 1998, making him the lowest draft pick in Cubs history to reach the big leagues. Maxwell signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2000 season, and made their Opening Day roster after a strong camp performance. He was often a defensive replacement at second base late in games, only starting 27 of his 64 appearances for the Twins that season. Maxwell didn't even register a plate appearance in 13 of those games, and slashed .243/.298/.324 when he was at the plate. He returned to the Twins in 2001, but the emergence of Luis Rivas gave Minnesota a full time second baseman who they felt comfortable with defensively late in games. This limited Maxwell to just 39 games and 78 plate appearances. He hit .191/286/.294 in those 78 trips to the plate. The Cincinnati Reds signed Maxwell to a minor league deal, and he spent two seasons with their Triple-A team. He did the same for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Triple-A squad in 2004, then retired from professional baseball. Maxwell is currently the athletic director and head baseball coach at The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee. He has also coached several U18 and U15 national teams for USA Baseball, allowing him to work with some of the game's brightest future stars. Some of his favorite players from working with USA Baseball include Anthony Volpe, Dylan Crews and Royce Lewis. Maxwell recommended to Twins special assistant of baseball operations LaTroy Hawkins, his former big league teammate, that Minnesota use the first overall pick in 2017 on Lewis. View full player

The Twins were also lucky to have so many people on the exact same clock. Guzman, Jacque Jones, Koskie, Doggie and AJ were all reaching free agency after 2004. AJ got moved in offseason. Doug at deadline. Other three all walked on their own. Almost impossible to pull off getting six good to great players on the exact same clock. It’s what Pirates have been trying to do for 30 years and they can’t line it all up

But how long term are we talking though? Look at all the young guys from that 2002 team. And now look at them in 1999. It wasn’t just Guzman who was bad. Torii Hunter and Douggie Baseball were also really, really bad in 1999 while getting regular playing time. Jacque Jones was okay, at best. And it eventually clicked, but we’re talking about 1999-02. Are you patient enough today to wait that long for a young core to come through?

But if none of these injured players are 60-day IL guys then you still need to find 40-man space before even thinking about the active roster. Roster space is not infinity. I don’t see anyone with DFA’ing to make room for a platoon bat who is bad offensively anywhere you put him.

It's always fun to look back at how successful the Twins youth movement was in the early-2000's, but I don't think fans are patient enough anymore to actually sit though it. Guzman was simply the worst player of them all out of the gate. But Douggie Baseball (mentioned in piece), Denny Hocking and Torii Hunter were all really, really bad in 1999. Jacque Jones was okay, at best. Eric Milton, Joe Mays and LaTroy Hawkins all struggled on the pitching side of things. You had this huge youth movement and it took them 3-4 years to make the playoffs after they all came up and become regular players. Koskie was really the only guy from the 2002-04 home grown core who started hitting right away.

Matthew Lawton Jr. was born on November 30, 1971 in Gulfport, Mississippi. He played second base growing up, forming a double play combination with shortstop Brett Favre as American Legion teammates. The Minnesota Twins selected Lawton in the 13th round out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College during the 1991 MLB Draft. He was moved to the outfield while at High-A Fort Myers in 1993, and reached the Majors as a September call-up in 1995. Lawton wasn't expected to break camp with the Twins in 1996, but Kirby Puckett was tragically diagnosed with glaucoma late in spring training. This prematurely ended his Hall of Fame career, and paved the way for Lawton to start for Minnesota on Opening Day. He went 2-for-4 in their season opener against the Detroit Tigers, but quickly began to struggle and was back in the minors by mid-May. He began to get regular playing time in 1997, appearing in 142 games with a .248 average and 14 home runs. Lawton made double digit starts at all three outfield positions that season. He really broke out in 1998, slashing .278/.387/.478 with a career high 21 home runs. Lawton also had 12 outfield assists that season, which was fifth best in the American League. His 1999 season was limited due to a scary eye injury suffered after he got hit by a pitch in the face on June 8th. He returned on July 18th, but struggled at the plate upon returning. Lawton also faced assault charges due to an incident between him and a teenage fan of the Toronto Blue Jays on September 1st. The charges were dropped after Lawton and the fan had a "friendly discussion" after the next day's game. Lawton was an All-Star for the first time in 2000, batting .305 with a career high 88 RBI that season. He had an RBI single against Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman during the midsummer classic, which the American League won 6-3. There were countless trade rumors regarding Lawton after the 2000 season, as the low budget Twins didn't think they would be able to sign him to a long term contract. General manager Terry Ryan never pulled the trigger on any potential deals, and Lawton began the 2001 season in Minnesota. He hit .293/.396/.439 in 103 games for the Twins that season, but was still traded to the New York Mets for veteran right handed starter Rick Reed at the deadline. Reed, who had been an All-Star for his first half work with the Mets, struggled after coming out to Minnesota. Lawton also played poorly down the stretch with his new club. Both the Twins and Mets fell just short of making the playoffs. He was traded again during the following off-season, getting sent to the Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster deal that brought Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar to the Mets. Lawton was marred by injuries the next two seasons, but returned to All-Star status in 2004. Cleveland traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of the 2005 season, and he was traded twice more during the year. The Chicago Cubs acquired Lawton at the July 31st trade deadline, and Chicago sent him to the New York Yankees in a post-deadline waiver trade on August 28th. After playing well with the Pirates and Cubs, he hit just .125 during his brief stint with the Yankees. This caused New York to leave him off their playoff roster. Lawton failed a PED test during the ensuing off-season, and was suspended for the start of the 2006 campaign. He signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners, and struggled after his return from suspension. Seattle released Lawton after just 11 games. This ended his professional baseball career. View full player

Glen Weston Perkins was born on March 2, 1983 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Minnesota Twins selected him with the 22nd overall pick in 2004 out of the University of Minnesota. He rose quickly through the minors, making his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2006. Perkins pitched well enough down the stretch to earn a spot in the Twins playoff bullpen that fall, making one relief appearance in game three of the 2006 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics. Baseball America ranked Perkins as their 66th best prospect ahead of the 2007 season. A shoulder strain limited Perkins to just 48.0 innings between the Majors and minors in 2007. He made the Opening Day roster as a relief pitcher, but was shut down in late May. He began pitching minor league games in late July, and was eventually recalled to the Twins in September. His ERA was 3.14 in 28.2 big league innings that season. Minnesota traded Johan Santana and Matt Garza the following off-season, opening up a spot in the rotation for Perkins. He made 26 starts in 2008, going 12-4 with a 4.41 ERA. His month of August was especially strong, giving the Twins eight shutout innings on two occasions. One of those games was against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who won 100 games that season. The other came against the New York Yankees. He returned to the Twins rotation in 2009, but was limited to just 17 starts due to elbow inflammation. Perkins began the 2010 season in Triple-A, struggling with a 5.81 ERA across 26 starts in Rochester. He was called up during September roster expansion to work out of the Twins bullpen. 2011 was a breakout year for Perkins in a full time relief role. He had a 2.48 ERA in 65 games with the Twins, making him one of very few bright spots for a 99 loss team. For his efforts, Perkins won the Joseph W. Haynes Award (Twins Best Pitcher) and Charles O. Johnson Award (Most Improved Twins Player). He became the closer midway through the 2012 season, going 16-for-20 in save chances after replacing Matt Capps. His ERA for the season was 2.56 in a career high 70 appearances. As the full time closer, Perkins made three consecutive All-Star teams in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He had a career year in 2013, saving 36 games with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.926 WHIP. Perkins recorded the save in the 2014 All-Star Game at Target Field, finishing that season with a 3.65 ERA and 34 saves. He was a perfect 28-for-28 on save chances entering the All-Star break in 2015, owning a 1.21 ERA and 0.830 WHIP. Minnesota was also in a playoff race for the first time since 2010, but things fell apart for the team and Perkins. He posted a 7.32 after the break, losing the closer role to deadline accusation Kevin Jepsen. The Twins ultimately fell three games short of the second wild card spot. Perkins was expected to have his closer role back in 2016, but he appeared in just two games before heading to the disabled list. It was later revealed that he needed season ending rotator cuff surgery. He began the 2017 season on the disabled list while still recovering from the surgery, and didn't return until August after a few setbacks occurred. Perkins appeared in only eight games that season, most of them coming in lower leverage relief situations. His contract option was declined by the team, making Perkins a free agent. He announced his retirement on January 24, 2018. Fox Sports North hired Perkins as a pregame and post game analyst in 2019. He began occasional work as a color commentator starting in 2023, and will continue that role in 2025 with the Twins in their inaugural season on TwinsTV. View full player

Joseph Michael Smith was born on March 22, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The New York Mets took Smith in round three of the 2006 MLB Draft out of Wright State. He rose quickly through the minors, and made their Opening Day roster in 2007. Smith pitched two seasons in Queens, posting a 3.51 ERA across 136 relief appearances. He was then traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of a massive three team, 12 player trade. Smith had a 2.76 ERA over the next five seasons with Cleveland, and then signed a three year deal with the Los Angeles Angles upon reaching free agency for the first time. He became a closer for the first time in his career in 2014, going 15-for-19 in save chances before Los Angeles acquired Huston Street at the deadline. Smith was moved to an eighth inning role, and finished 2014 with a 1.81 ERA. He didn't allow a single base runner in two innings during the postseason that year, which is the Angles last playoff appearance as of 2024. Los Angeles traded Smith to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline in 2016, which was the final year of his deal with the Angles. He had a 2.61 ERA in 16 outings with the Cubs, but was then placed on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. This ultimately kept him off the playoff roster, but Smith did receive a World Series ring when Chicago defeated his old Cleveland club in the fall classic. He then became a journeyman reliever, pitching for five teams over the next six years. This included a second stint with the Indians, helping them reach the playoffs in 2017. After missing out due to injury with the Cubs, Smith finally got an opportunity to pitch in the World Series with the Houston Astros in 2018. He allowed a pair of ninth inning insurance runs to score in game seven of the World Series, playing a small part in Houston's 7-2 loss against the Washington Nationals. Smith did have scoreless appearances in games one, three and five. The final stop of his career came with the Minnesota Twins in 2022. He was brilliant out of the gate for the Twins, not allowing a run over his first 16 appearances. This included all 12 runners he inherited. Smith continued to pitch well, but hit the injured list with a back injury on June 26th. At the time of his injury, Smith had a 2.78 ERA and 14 holds through 28 appearances. He still hadn't allowed any inherited runners to score. Things were never the same when Smith returned from the IL in late July, and he was designated for assignment after allowing nine runs in his first six outings after his activation. Smith cleared waivers and was released by the Twins on August 5th. He remained unsigned, and announced his retirement via Instagram in 2024. He spends much of retired life promoting his organization dedicated to finding a cure for Huntington's Disease, a condition that leads to death of the nerve cells in a person's brain. Smith's mother was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. Because it's triggered by a faulty gene, there is a 50% chance Smith will eventually develop it. He is married to Turner Sports sideline reporter Allie LaForce, who is also very active in their HelpCureHD foundation. View full player