Drew Smyly

Todd Andrew Smyly (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Atlanta Braves.

Prior to his professional career, Smyly played college baseball at the University of Arkansas.

In 2008 he did not play, as he had a fractured left elbow into which two screws were inserted.

As a redshirt freshman in 2009, Smyly came within two outs of pitching the first no-hitter at the NCAA Division I championship tournament in 18 years.

During the summer following his 2009 season, Smyly pitched for the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League where he played for a brief time under former New York Mets Manager Terry Collins.

The Tigers drafted Smyly in the second round of the 2010 MLB draft.

Serving in the Razorbacks starting rotation in 2010, Smyly had a 9–1 win–loss record with a 2.80 earned run average (ERA) and 114 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched, and was named All-SEC.

The Detroit Tigers drafted Smyly in the second round (68th overall) of the 2010 MLB draft.

He signed with the Tigers, receiving a $1.1 million signing bonus.

He competed for the United States national baseball team, winning the silver medal in the 2011 Pan American Games.

Pitching for the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and the Erie SeaWolves of the Class AA Eastern League, Smyly was named the Tigers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2011, pitching to an 11–6 win–loss record in 22 games (21 starts) with a 2.07 earned run average (ERA) and 130 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.

He was also FSL Pitcher of the Week on June 13, and an MiLB.com Tigers Organization All-Star.

He made his MLB debut in 2012.

Smyly was a part of the 2021 World Series champions with the Braves.

Smyly was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to parents Todd and Toni, and grew up in Maumelle, Arkansas.

He attended Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, where he established school records on the baseball team for wins (10) and strikeouts (118) in his junior year.

Smyly attended the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.

Heading into the 2012 season, MLB.com ranked Smyly the 82nd-best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America ranked him the third-best prospect in the Tigers organization, behind Jacob Turner and Nick Castellanos.

The Tigers invited Smyly to spring training in 2012, allowing him to compete for a spot in the Tigers starting rotation.

Smyly won the competition, beginning the 2012 season in the starting rotation of the Detroit Tigers, though he made one start with the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class-AAA International League on April 7 prior to being called up for his MLB debut on April 12.

On June 14, he was placed on the disabled list (retroactive to June 11) due to a blister on his left hand.

Following the Tigers' trade deadline acquisition of starter Aníbal Sánchez from the Miami Marlins, Smyly spent much of August and September coming out of the Tigers' bullpen.

On the season, Smyly pitched 99 1⁄3 innings, compiling a 4–3 record with 94 strikeouts, 33 walks, and a 3.99 ERA.

He was named to the Tigers postseason roster.

Smyly was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS against the New York Yankees, pitching the final two innings of the Tigers’ extra-innings win.

This marked his first win as a starter since July 6, 2012, which also came against Kansas City.

On July 25, in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Smyly matched his season high in strikeouts (8) after just three innings, and finished the game with a career-high 11 strikeouts in 5 2⁄3 innings.

Smyly competed with Rick Porcello in spring training for the fifth spot in the Tigers' 2013 starting rotation.

On March 26, it was announced that Porcello had won the No. 5 starter job, and that Smyly would start the season in the Tiger bullpen.

On April 5, Smyly got his first career save after pitching four perfect innings of relief in an 8–3 win over the Yankees.

In his first full season as a reliever, Smyly posted a 6–0 record with two saves in 63 games with a 2.37 ERA.

He led all Tigers relievers and all AL lefty relievers in innings pitched (76) and strikeouts (81).

With the departure of Tigers starter Doug Fister via trade, Smyly was named the No. 5 starter in the Tigers rotation for the 2014 season.

Because of off days, he pitched six innings out of the bullpen before making his season debut as a starter on April 18.

Smyly pitched seven shutout innings to earn the win in a May 3 game against the Kansas City Royals.

On July 31, 2014, the Detroit Tigers traded Smyly to the Tampa Bay Rays, along with Willy Adames, in a three-team deal that also sent Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners, Nick Franklin from the Mariners to the Rays, and David Price to the Tigers.

On September 9, Rays' manager Joe Maddon announced they would shut down Smyly for the remainder of the season, after he had pitched a career-high 153 innings.

After being traded to the Rays, Smyly went 3–1 with a 1.70 ERA in seven starts.

Opponents hit .155 against him, a figure that led the AL over that span.