Smith could be major for Marlins
Left-hander is healthy and ready to build on promising rookie season.
JUPITER — Holding court with a group of reporters Thursday morning in the Marlins clubhouse, Caleb Smith was asked the question on everyone’s mind.
How long had he been growing his lengthy offseason beard, which manager Don Mattingly later referred to as the “Abe Lincoln look.”
“I’ve shaved it once in the offseason for a wedding,” Smith said.
“I’m going to keep it as long as I can,” he added at 8:30 a.m.
It didn’t last long.
An hour later, the left-hander emerged from the practice field with a tightly trimmed beard, in compliance with the team’s “well-groomed” facial hair policy.
Beard or no beard, Smith is ready to hit the mound again after his promising rookie season was cut short by injury.
The 6-foot-2 lefty started 16 games last season, posting a 4.19 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 77 1⁄3 innings. One of the bright spots from 2018, Smith dazzled opponents with his four-seam fastball/slider combination, racking up at least seven strikeouts in six starts. His K rate ranked in the 76th percentile for all MLB pitchers.
But in late June, Smith’s rookie campaign came to an early close after he suffered a grade three lat strain, requiring season-ending surgery.
“It was super frustrating,” Smith said. “I feel like I was having a pretty decent year and that was just a big punch in the gut for me. It was unfortunate, but I’m coming back from it strong.”
After July 9 surgery, Smith began rehab for the “fluky” injury, which doctors told him was not very common for pitchers. The latissimus dorsi muscle in the back extends, adducts, and rotates the arm medially and draws the shoulder downward and backward.
“The first two weeks were kind of rough,” Smith said. “My shoulder was super tight when I was throwing. After the first three weeks to a month I started feeling back to normal. I was trying to push the limits every day. Trying to throw a little bit harder every day. That’s when it started feeling good.”
Smith continued to strengthen his shoulder in the offseason, training in Huntsville, Texas with the Sam Houston State baseball team.
Now in Jupiter, he’s ready to pick up where he left off. W Although his 4.19 ERA may seem ordinary, a closer look at the analytics shows he’s brewing with potential.
His spin rate — which adds greater deception to pitches — on the four-seam fastball was 19th in baseball last season among starters with at least 400 pitches. His average rpm of 2,365 ranked slightly higher than Cy Young winners Jacob deGrom and Blake Snell. The league-average spin rate is roughly 2,200 rpm, per MLB Statcast.
In addition, his rate was swingand-miss among the best for left-handed starters. 49.2 percent of his four-seamers were whiffs — seventh best in baseball. Of his sliders, 33 percent were swings-and-misses — 11th best and higher than Snell and Dallas Keuchel.
“I think the swing and miss was the biggest thing that stood out,” Mattingly said of his rookie season. “I think it was kind of our interaction with analytics and what they were showing us with his swing-and-miss stuff. Being able to point that out to him early on — give him the confidence to ‘Hey, challenge the strike zone. Go get some guys. Challenge the hitter with your stuff because it’s quality’.
“It’s in the upper-tier for the guys with swing-andmiss stuff, so Caleb has a chance to continue to grow, continue to get better. I think the more confidence and comfortable he gets, the better he’ll be.”
Fully healthy, Smith will compete with six other Marlins pitchers for a spot in the starting rotation. While there were initial doubts after the surgery, those are in the rearview mirror for the lefty.
“Whenever you get injured, it’s almost like poison in your head,” Smith said. “It’s like ‘Am I ever going to be the same? Am I ever going to be able to throw hard again?’
“But when you get up there, it all comes back to you and I feel great.”