Greg Smith Stats & Scouting Report

IP	229
ERA	4.52
WHIP	1.437
BB/9	4.362
SO/9	5.581

Full name Gregory Thomas Smith
Born 12/22/1983 in Alexandria, LA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Louisiana State
Debut 04/09/2008
Drafted in the 6th round (171st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 (signed for $145,000).

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Louisiana State's No. 3 starter is its best pitching prospect. A reliever in his first two college seasons, Smith made a seamless transition to the rotation this spring, highlighted by a scoreless streak of 28 2/3 innings in Southeastern Conference play. His plus curveball remains his best pitch, and he also has a lively 89-90 mph fastball and a decent changeup. While he has the repertoire, command and delivery to succeed as a pro starter, some scouts wonder if he might be more useful coming out of the bullpen. Last year he regularly pitched 90-93 mph while working shorter stints. Though Smith hasn't had major arm surgery like other members of the Tigers staff, there is a medical concern with him. During fall practice of his freshman year, doctors found a tiny hole in his heart. The condition hasn't given him any trouble, so it may not affect his draft status.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Smith pitched his way into prominence in his first full pro season in 2006, reaching Double-A and then emerging as one of Team USA's best starters in its Olympic qualifying tournament in Panama. The extra work caused him to get off to a slow start in 2007, however, and he spent the first month of the season in extended spring training with a tired arm. Once he got into action, he pitched well all year, including a 2.61 ERA in 21 innings in the Arizona Fall League. Smith doesn't have dominant stuff, but he gets hitters out with good command and a great feel for his craft. He's perceptive and knows how to keep batters off balance, skillfully adding and subtracting velocity. He has four legitimate pitches with an 88-91 mph fastball, a cutter, a curveball and a changeup, and he has focused on improving his offspeed offerings. He also has what may be the best pickoff move in the minors. Only 12 runners tried to steal on him in 2007, and just four succeeded. Smith's margin for error is small because he has no out pitch, so it will be important for him to command all his pitches if he's to succeed in the big leagues. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter, and while he'll likely open the season in Triple-A, he'll likely get a big league opportunity sometime in 2008.
The Diamondbacks were happy to move their high Class A affiliation away from Lancaster, one of the best hitter's parks in the minor leagues. The park tended to inflate numbers for both hitters and pitchers, making it tough to judge either. Smith was one of the few pitchers who had the formula to succeed there, however, going 9-0 and even throwing two shutouts. He emerged at Louisiana State in 2005, putting together a 282⁄3-inning scoreless streak, and has had consistent success as a pro. He completed his 2006 season with Team USA in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Smith has great touch and feel for his pitches, and his fastball touches 90 mph. His curveball is a potential strikeout pitch, and his changeup has the potential to be above-average, but he needs to improve the command of both. He has a good idea of how to set up hitters. Smith has one of the best pickoff moves in the minors, and basestealers were just 8-for-24 against him last season. He handled a two-level jump to high Class A in 2006, but he'll probably go back to Double-A to open this year.
Smith spent two years as a middle reliever at Louisiana State before taking off as a starter in 2005, when he had a 28 2/3-innings scoreless streak and became the first Tigers pitcher to record back-to-back complete-game shutouts since former No. 1 overall pick Ben McDonald in 1989. Smith overmatched batters during his pro debut at Rookie-level Missoula, leading the Pioneer League in wins, innings and strikeouts. He has excellent command of an average fastball with good movement, using it to set up his out pitch, a big-breaking curveball that's effective against both lefties and rightes. His changeup is more than just a show-me pitch, but he rarely throws it. Smith projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter because of his stuff, though his lack of size leads some scouts to profile him as a reliever. Doctors discovered a tiny hole in his heart when he was a freshman, but it's not life-threatening and doesn't affect his pitching. Coming from a major college program, Smith wasn't tested by Rookie ball. His full-season debut will give Arizona a much better feel for how good he can be, and he may skip two levels and head directly to high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Smith was a sensation in the first half, when he went 9-0, 1.63 while pitching in Lancaster, a hitter's haven even by the inflated standards of the Cal League. He doesn't have overwhelming stuff, but he can locate any of his three average offerings wherever he wants. Smith works around 90 mph with his fastball, which he can sink and cut, and the pitch seems faster because his changeup looks exactly the same out of his hand. He mixes those two offerings with a slurvy breaking ball, sometimes pitching backwards to confuse hitters. "He beat us twice and we had no chance," Sakata said. "He kept you off balance. You never got a good swing, and you're hoping he walks somebody but he won't." Smith has a quiet confidence on the mound, and his makeup off the field is just as impressive. He's always trying to learn and improve, even standing out for his diligence while charting pitches during his off days.
After the Diamondbacks drafted Justin Upton with the No. 1 overall pick this year, they spent eight of their next nine choices on college pitchers. Arizona sent many of those arms to Missoula, and Smith was easily the most impressive. He led the league in wins, innings and strikeouts and was named PL pitcher of the year. Smith has an advanced feel for pitching. He sets up hitters with an average fastball and slightly above-average curveball, working both offerings to all quadrants of the strike zone. Having pitched in the Southeastern Conference for Louisiana State, he was advanced for the league. He profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a reliable lefthanded reliever.