Ryan Rowland-Smith
| IP | 370 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.573 |
| WHIP | 1.422 |
| BB/9 | 3.357 |
| SO/9 | 5.57 |
- Full name Ryan Benjamin Rowland-Smith
- Born 01/26/1983 in Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Newcastle
- Debut 06/22/2007
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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The first player ever signed from Newcastle, Australia, Rowland-Smith pitched for his nation in the 2004 Olympics. The Twins took him the major league Rule 5 draft at the 2004 Winter Meetings but returned him to the Mariners the following spring. Rowland-Smith, who spent the second half of last season in Seattle's bullpen, has worked predominantly as a reliever in his seven years in the system. However, the Mariners want him to start in 2008 and sent him to the Venezuelan Winter League to prepare for that assignment. With a fastball that reaches 93-94 mph and three other pitches, Rowland-Smith never was typical lefty-specialist material. He relied on his slider as a reliever, and the pitch is a tick above average, but he's more comfortable with throwing his average curveball and deceptive changeup. He's a physical pitcher who offers power stuff from the left side and has a plan on the mound. Rowland-Smith never has started more than 17 games or pitched more than 122 innings in any pro season, leading to questions about how he'll adapt to the rigors of his new role. Despite his size, he doesn't get a lot of downward plane on his fastball, and his curve can be a little big and early at times. With no knockout pitch, he's probably a No. 4 or 5 starter. Rowland-Smith won't have an easy time cracking the rotation, seeing as Seattle has three other lefty candidates in Jarrod Washburn, Horacio Ramirez and Ryan Feierabend.
