Joe Smith (pitcher)

Joseph Michael Smith (born March 22, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins. Smith attended Wright State University and was drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 2007. Smith attended Amelia High School in Batavia, Ohio. He was a three-year varsity letterman in baseball and an All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference honoree, Smith also pitched five years for the select American Amateur Baseball Congress Midland team in Cincinnati. Even through his labrum surgery, he was dedicated to returning to baseball. In college at Wright State University, Smith redshirted for the Wright State Raiders and played three years in Horizon League competition. Ultimately, Smith became Wright State's closer during his junior and senior years, as he gained 4–6 miles per hour (6.4–9.7 km/h) on his fastball after changing his delivery. In his senior season, he had 13 saves and a 0.98 earned run average (ERA).