LAKELAND, Fla. — Drew Smyly, the former Little Rock Central and Arkansas standout pitcher, has won a spot in the Detroit Tigers’ starting rotation.
“I’m speechless,” Smyly told Detroit media on Sunday after a meeting with Tigers’ officials in which he was informed of his status with the team.
Smyly, a 22-year old left-hander, is scheduled to make his Major League debut on April 12 with a start against the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit. Before that, he’ll make a start for the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers’ Class AAA team.
When Smyly found the words to comment, he told reporters “excited’s an understatement” for his emotions and that he wasn’t sure what Detroit Manager Jim Leyland would say in Sunday’s meeting.
“I was hoping for the best, but I didn’t know if I was getting sent down,” Smyly said. “When he told me [about the roster spot], it was a big relief.”
Smyly, Detroit’s second round pick in 2010, made the Major League roster after one season as a professional, when he went a combined 11-6 with a 2.07 ERA for Class A Lakeland (Fla.) and Class AA Erie (Pa.). He was named the Tigers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He came to spring training as one of five candidates for the Tigers’ fifth rotation spot.
“I think from the beginning I felt I had a shot,” Smyly told reporters Sunday. “I knew I was capable of getting the job done, but everyone else is probably capable of getting the job done. So it was just knowing that you can handle it and just going out there and showing to everyone else that you’re able to do it.”
Smyly allowed 4 runs on 7 hits over 12 2/3 innings in spring training work against Major League teams, walking 5 and striking out 10.
“Obviously, we felt he was the best candidate at this particular time,” Leyland said.
Information for this article was contributed by the Detroit Free-Press and Tigers.com.
Sports, Pages 15 on 04/02/2012