Carson Smith

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #10 prospect in 2015
  The Mariners have a history of finding one useful rookie reliever per year to fit into the big league bullpen. It was Dominic Leone in 2014, Yoervis Medina in 2013, Carter Capps in 2012 and Tom Wilhelmsen in 2011. Expect Smith, a starter at Texas State who quickly moved to the pen as a Mariner, to be the next to make the jump after he impressed in a brief stint as a September callup in 2014. Pitching from the extreme glove side of the pitcher's rubber, Smith slings from an almost sidearm slot, mixing in a dive-bombing 84-86 mph slider that grades as plus. But thanks to his ability to locate to both sides of the plate and his mid-80s mph changeup, Smith is nearly as tough on lefthanders. His fastball gained a tick to sit at 92-94 mph with bumps up to 96, but it's the sink he gets when he's working down in the zone that makes his heater most effective. He has allowed just four home runs in 141 pro appearances and has racked up more than 3.5 groundouts for every airout at his last three stops. Smith isn't conventional and his delivery has plenty of effort, but he's steadily improved his control to average. He's ready to help the Mariners as a middle reliever in 2015, and he has a shot to eventually handle the eighth inning.
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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #14 prospect in 2014
  Smith thrived as a starter at Texas State, going 19-7, 2.52 in two seasons, but his slinging, low-slot delivery prompted the Mariners to make him a reliever once he signed for $215,000 as an eight-round pick in 2011. He's succeeded in the role, and Seattle selected him as its minor league relief pitcher of the year for 2013. Smith works off a hard sinker/slider combination. The fastball usually parks in the 91-93 mph range, which is nothing special for a reliever, but what makes it a plus pitch is its outstanding movement. The slider sits 84-88 mph, and Smith sometimes has a hard time controlling the break on it. He consistently forces hitters to beat the ball into the ground, however, as evidenced by a well-above-average 4.13 groundout/airout ratio at Double-A Jackson in 2013. The biggest concern about Smith is his delivery, because his max-effort mechanics are difficult to repeat and often find him slinging the ball more than throwing it. He continues to work on smoothing out his motion, and he walked just 3.1 per nine innings in 2013. Smith likely will begin 2014 at Triple-A Tacoma and should graduate to the big league bullpen at some point during the season.
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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #16 prospect in 2013
  In Carter Capps and Stephen Pryor, the Mariners have already gotten two pitchers from recent drafts to the big leagues, and Smith is another hard-throwing reliever who shouldn't be far behind. A 2011 eighth-rounder who signed for $215,000, he didn't pitch in his first pro summer while recovering from shoulder issues that he pitched through at Texas State. His shoulder didn't prevent him from winning consecutive Southland Conference pitcher of the year awards, and he performed well in his pro debut to finish second in the system behind Capps with 15 saves. Smith has a big, physical frame and throws from a low three-quarters arm slot that gives him a lot of movement on his fastball. He typically works at 92-95 mph and gets as high as 97. With his fastball's heavy sink and late life, he gets plenty of groundballs. His hard slider pairs nicely with his heater and serves as an out pitch. Smith worked last season to add a changeup to his repertoire, in order to give hitters something extra to think about and to combat lefthanders. He has some violence in his delivery, including spinning off the rubber and a head whack, which leads to below-average control. Still, he has the potential to be a solid set-up man and another quality arm in Seattle's young, homegrown bullpen.