Mike Smith

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #21 prospect in 2003
  Like GM J.P. Ricciardi, Smith is a Massachusetts native. He played in Boston's Yawkey Baseball League as a youngster, and his sister is the daughter-in-law of former Red Sox president John Harrington. Smith played both ways at Richmond, often sharing time in the outfield with his twin brother Rich. He homered in his first college at-bat but soon settled on pitching and reached the big leagues within two years of signing with Toronto. However, his limitations started to show in the big leagues. Smith has one speed: fast. He throws a 92-95 mph fastball and a power slider in the high 80s, enough to handle Triple-A in his first try but not enough to get by as a starter in the big leagues. He has yet to master a changeup or anything else offspeed, and his lack of height keeps him from getting good leverage on his fastball. His power repertoire and competitiveness help him profile as a setup man. The Jays will give him at least one more look as a starter before moving him to the bullpen.
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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #13 prospect in 2002
  In 2001, Brandon Lyon defied the Blue Jays' model. The organization favors tall, athletic, projectable righthanders like Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter, but Lyon spent only a year in the minors before pitching his way into the Toronto rotation. Smith, Lyon's teammate at short-season Queens in 2000, is on a slower track but not by much. Like Lyon, Smith is small by Blue Jays standards for a pitcher and has good command of his fastball. Unlike Lyon, he has power stuff, working in the 92-94 mph range and touching 96 with his fastball. Smith gets his velocity from a quick arm action and strong legs, which he uses to drive to the plate and which help him maintain his velocity. His second pitch is a hard slider that needs more consistency. His changeup remains a work in progress, but when he stays on top of his breaking ball and keeps his fastball down in the zone, he can dominate for long stretches, as he did after his promotion to Double-A. A return to Double-A to start the year is in the offing, as the organization wants to see Smith work on an offspeed pitch.