Position: Relief pitcher
Age: 29 (9/24/1993), B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 44 G, 46 IP, 3.33 ERA, 1.152 WHIP, 53 SO, 15 BB, 38 H, 14 Holds
Advanced Stats: 0.7 bWAR, 117 ERA+, 4.33 FIP, .264 BABIP, 28.3 SO%, .222/.283/.404
2022 Salary: $750,000
Grade: B-
2022 Review
Drew Smith‘s fourth season with the Mets was a fine one. He appeared in more games and threw more innings than any other season in his career. Though, the injury bug continued to impact Smith, as he missed over a month with a lat strain. To this point in his short career, he has never been healthy for a full season. Smith has always shown signs of greatness, but his ability to stay on the field has held him back.
Smith continued to show greatness in 2022, as his 3.33 ERA was one of the best in the Mets’ bullpen. His 1.152 WHIP was only worse than Edwin Díaz and Adam Ottavino. Smith provided stability in a bullpen that had its fair share of inconsistency, but even he struggled at times.
He used his fastball 57% of the time, while using his slider as his main out pitch at 35.5%. He also tossed in a curveball (6.4%) and a changeup (5.5%). He wasn’t afraid to use his fastball to get a strikeout, and utilized all of his pitches in different situations. This all culminating in his above-average season.
Smith didn’t allow a run in 2022 until his 13th appearance on May 13 against the Mariners. The Mets used him predominantly in the 7th and 8th innings, high-leverage situations. He had a 1.99 ERA as of June 24, but then hit a rough patch and the lowest his ERA would be the rest of the season was 2.48. From June 29 to September 21, Smith threw 9 2/3 innings (injury) and allowed 10 runs on 15 hits. However, he finished the season strong. He did not allow a single run in his final six outings of the season, and only allowed five baserunners.
For Smith, he managed to return from his injury on September 21 and only allow one run to finish off the season. The unfortunate thing is that his important arm was missing when the Mets needed him most in a divisional run in September. The young reliever also got his first taste of the postseason, as he threw one inning in the Wild Card Series against the Padres. He struck out a batter, hit a batter, and allowed a hit.
Really, the only concern with Smith, besides the injury issues, is his proneness to give up the home-run ball. If Smith can limit to hard contact and the long ball, he can become an elite bullpen arm.
Photo by Chris Simon
2023 Outlook
Drew Smith still has three more full seasons under team control before becoming a free agent. His value in 2023 is going to be more than ever. Most of the Mets primary bullpen arms from 2022 is hitting the free agent market, with only Edwin Díaz and Drew Smith locked up for 2023 at the moment. While the Mets will likely be bringing in a few arms to fill out the remaining spots, they can feel comfortable having Drew Smith in a setup role for the moment.
The biggest goal for him in 2023 is to stay healthy all year while trying to stifle the home-run ball, and then he can show off his craft. Smith has proven that he can be reliable when he is able to stay on the field, the only issue is doing that. Next season can be his first chance at becoming one of the top relievers in baseball if he is indeed tossed into those bigger moments. Regardless of how he is used in 2023, he will be one of the most important arms in the Mets’ bullpen next season.
