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Q & A with New York Yankees Prospect Brett Smith |
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Written by Joe Hamrahi
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Monday, 25 June 2007 |
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Thanks to Dan Loney at the Trenton Thunder, I was able to speak with New York Yankees prospect Brett Smith this past week. Brett is currently 6-3 with a 2.30 ERA in 13 starts. He has a WHIP of 1.01 and opposing hitters are batting a mere .185 against him.
Baseball Digest Daily (BDD): Before we get to your season and career a little bit, tell me what you think about the run your Alma Mata, UC Irvine, had this past week. Brett Smith (Smith): Oh it was awesome. I think it was the right time for it from our school’s perspective. There have been some major shakeups going on in the athletic department. We’re happy they put that aside, and you can’t say enough about the job the coaches and players have done at that place. I came in at the right time. They were kind of at a crossroads. BDD: To follow up on the college question for minute…you were originally drafted out of high school by the
Diamondbacks. What made you decide to go to college instead of signing to play pro ball at that point? Especially since the Irvine program was just getting back into shape? Smith: I think it was a combination of a lot of things. It was early on, and I was only 17 when I was drafted, and I really wasn’t sure about how to go about being a baseball player. I knew I could play, but didn’t know how to go about it. I’m really glad I went to college. My parents were a big factor in that. I think they wanted me to go to school. They both graduated college, and it was something that was pretty important to our family. I think it was just another opportunity to ease the transition into becoming an adult, especially as a baseball player…not getting too far away from home but having some freedom and stuff. It really taught me how to manage my time, and that was a huge deal. My dad is real big on accountability and responsibility, and that was something I didn’t really have a good grasp on at that point in my life.
BDD: You’ve had a very good year so far this season. Have you done anything differently to achieve the success you’ve had?
Smith: No, I don’t think I’ve done anything different. It’s kind of been a lot of little things. I’ve been real good about side work, and a new pitching coach has helped a lot with that. It’s been about refining. The minor leagues are about the refining process until you get real consistent. I’ve been able to remain fairly consistent in my abilities while I compete, and I’m happy with that certainly. BDD: Did you feel any extra pressure maybe during your first few professional seasons after being such a high draft pick? Smith: Um, no, I certainly didn’t. It’s certainly there, and there is some pressure, but it’s not a big deal. I have a lot of confidence in my ability, and I think to be a baseball player you have to. The game is so hard. It’s hard enough without adding extra pressure worrying about if you’re going to get a chance to pitch with all the injuries and stuff. I think what we’ve been able to do, as a staff, is compete very, very well and without all those side distractions. And it’s real nice because we’re all doing so well. It’s hard to single one player out as doing better than the others. I think it’s pretty cool. BDD: You hit on the topic there of injuries. With all the injuries in the Yankees starting rotation this year, did you ever sense you might get a call up to the big leagues? Or did you anticipate you may get a call up? Smith: No, I mean there was a lot of talk, and there were a lot of reporters around our team. There’s a lot of media around our team. They would (ask) that from time to time. I would say, well, you can’t really worry about that. It’s like running a race. You can’t worry about the last step before you worry about the first. I think that it would get away from what I’m trying to accomplish as a baseball player. I couldn’t sit there and think about how many players I’d need to strike out in order to make the big leagues. You can’t really worry about that because it’s not your decision to make. All you can do is put up good starts and be ready so if something does happen, you can make the most of the opportunity. BDD: You were off to a blazing start. But as of late, batters seem to be hitting you a little better. Do you think they’re starting to figure you out at all? Do you feel the need to make any adjustments? Smith: Certainly, I need to make a few adjustments. But it’s not like my year’s over because of a couple of bad starts. I think there are things I want to be doing that I was doing early…like getting ahead, getting 2 strikes on guys, and just staying ahead in the count. I think that’s something I haven’t been doing as effectively as I did the first few times out. It’s been tough. It’s been a weird year. There’s a lot going on here. It’s been real hard to stay consistent in terms of a routine in between starts and that kind of stuff. I think anybody will tell you that. But, it’s a minor league organization. It’s not just about me and what I can do. I’d like to get back and be as consistent as I can. That’s my goal. Whether I give up 2 runs or 5 runs it doesn’t really matter as long as I have the right approach. The approach is what matters. BDD: Speaking of a lot going on, what was it like having Roger Clemens around there for a few days? Smith: Yeah, yeah…that was a lot going on! BDD: Laughs… Smith: It was pretty impressive. That’s what I would call it. It was cool to see how down to earth he was in his approach. I mean, you know that’s what you ultimately want as a pitcher…to be able to handle that sort of pressure…stuff just rolls right off of him. Having 10,000 people show up just to watch a start is a big deal…in Trenton, New Jersey that’s a big deal! ESPN had the game on TV. But he did what he had to, and it was cool. We got to take some ground balls with him and stuff. He couldn’t have been nicer. He took the time out and let us watch him go about his business. It was cool.
Our thanks go out to Brett Smith for spending a few minutes with us this past week. He was extremely pleasant and really put some thought into his answers. You don’t always get that from 23 year-old baseball players!
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 July 2007 )
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