Former Brooklyn Cyclone Joe Smith hasn’t just become a consistent performer in the New York Mets’ bullpen this season. The side-winding right-hander has emerged as the best relief option for manager Willie Randolph through the first month of the season.
After tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames in Wednesday afternoon’s 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium, Smith remains the only pitcher on the staff who has yet to allow an earned run. He is 1-0 with the aforementioned 0.00 ERA in 16 outings, spanning 14 2/3 innings with 17 strikeouts and seven walks.
Smith has used a combination of his funky delivery and blazing fastball to catch Major League hitters off guard – at least through the first 25 games of the campaign.
It was at this time last year that the Wright State graduate was heading to Brooklyn for his first summer of professional baseball. Now, he’s quickly becoming a fixture in Randolph’s relief rotation.
“He’s getting better and better,” Randolph said Wednesday. “I’m learning to trust him more and more.”
“They’re showing more confidence in me every day,” Smith added. “Every once in a while, I start shaking, but that’s just nerves of the situation. Every time, I feel more confident.”
Cyclones fans trusted Smith during the early part of the 2006 campaign, watching him go 16 consecutive outings without yielding a run before his quick promotion to Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League on Aug. 1.
Smith saved nine games for Brooklyn, but wasn’t there for the playoff run, leaving the Cyclones short of their second title since 2001. But Mets fans appreciate Smith’s rapid rise through the Minors and his almost instant adjustment to big league hitters.
“I know you don’t see too many guys with 2 1/2 months [experience] going to the big leagues,” Smith said.
No, you don’t. But Smith’s ability to remain a big league reliever will depend on his ability to bounce back from the occasional bad performance – if he ever manages to have one.
Until then, he will enjoy every minute of being Randolph’s only sure-fire option out of the bullpen.
“It’s been my lifelong dream to be a major leaguer, and doing it this quickly is something I never imagined,” he said. “I’m in the clubhouse right now with guys I’ve been watching in the majors since I was in middle school!”
In other Brooklyn baseball news, the Cyclones will be holding auditions for National Anthem singers on Wednesday, June 6 at 5 p.m. at the Kings Plaza mall. Performers will be asked to sing acapella for the chance to sing the Star Spangled Banner before a Cyclones game this summer.
The Cyclones average approximately 8,000 fans per night, and garner local and national exposure, making this a terrific opportunity for singers to not only entertain huge hometown crowds, but also to be “discovered” in the process.
In one success story, fifth grader Dominique Krol was chosen to sing the anthem in 2006. When she did, she impressed the right set of ears, and was soon signed to the Metropolitan Opera’s Children’s Chorus.
To audition for a 2007 game, simply show up at the Kings Plaza Mall at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, and head to the lower-level Avenue U entrance.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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