Joe Smith

Joseph Michael Smith (born March 22, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in MLB for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins. Smith attended Wright State University and was drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 2007. High school and college Smith attended Amelia High School in Batavia, Ohio. He was a three-year varsity letterman in baseball and an All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference honoree, Smith also pitched five years for the select American Amateur Baseball Congress Midland team in Cincinnati. Even though his labrum surgery, he was dedicated to returning to baseball. In college at Wright State University, Smith redshirted for the Wright State Raiders and played three years in Horizon League competition. Ultimately, Smith became Wright State's closer during his junior and senior years, as he gained on his fastball after changing his delivery. In his senior season, he had 13 saves and a 0.98 earned run average (ERA). In three seasons Smith posted 22 saves, 145 strikeouts, and 39 walks. In 2005, he was the WSU team MVP and in 2006 he was awarded second-team All-Mideast Region, first-team Horizon League, Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, and WSU Most Valuable Male Athlete. In 2004, Smith played collegiate summer baseball with the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the North Adams Steeplecats. In 2005, Smith briefly pitched for the Rockville Express, a team in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. In 2005, he made nine appearances for the Express, posting a 4.66 ERA, a 1–0 win–loss record, and earning two saves. Later in the summer of 2005, Smith also pitched for the Edenton Steamers in the Coastal Plain League. In 16 regular-season appearances, totaling innings pitched, he tallied nine saves with a 2.08 ERA, a .197 batting average against, and struck out 19 batters. He also recorded the final out of the 2005 Petitt Cup tournament, on a comebacker, to give Edenton its second consecutive league championship.