Riley Wade Smith (born January 15, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently in the Colorado Rockies organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
| Riley Smith | |
|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1995-01-15) January 15, 1995 (age 27) Lufkin, Texas | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 26, 2020, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics (through 2021 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 3–4 |
| Earned run average | 5.04 |
| Strikeouts | 54 |
| Teams | |
| |
Smith attended Hudson High School in Lufkin, Texas.[1] Undrafted out of high school in 2013, Smith attended San Jacinto College for two years. He went 6–2 with a 2.30 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 70 innings in 2014.[2] He posted a 7–2 record with a 2.96 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 75 innings in 2015.[2] Smith helped lead the San Jacinto Gators to the NJCAA World Series in 2015.[3] Smith was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB draft, but did not sign and transferred to Louisiana State University for the 2016 season.[4] Smith went 2–1 with a 7.22 ERA over 32 innings in 2016.[5] Smith was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 24th round, with the 719th overall selection, of the 2016 MLB draft and signed with them.[6]
Smith spent his professional debut season of 2016 with the Hillsboro Hops, going 2–0 with a 2.51 ERA over 32 innings.[2] He split the 2017 season between Hillsboro and the Kane County Cougars, going a combined 7–4 with a 3.07 ERA over 105+2⁄3 innings.[7] He spent 2018 with the Visalia Rawhide, going 8–6 with a 3.57 ERA over 151 innings.[2] He split the 2019 season between the Jackson Generals and the Reno Aces, going a combined 6–6 with a 4.43 ERA over 133+1⁄3 innings.[8][9]
Smith was added to the Diamondbacks 40-man roster following the 2019 season.[10]
Smith was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 24, 2020. He made his debut on August 26 against the Colorado Rockies. In 6 games, Smith was 1–0 with a 1.47 ERA in 18+1⁄3 innings. Smith made 24 appearances for Arizona in 2021, but struggled to a 6.01 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 67+1⁄3 innings of work. He was outrighted off of the 40-man roster following the season on November 19, 2021.[11] On April 12, 2022, Smith was released by the Diamondbacks organization.[12]
On May 2, 2022, Smith signed with the Wild Health Genomes of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. On May 9, 2022, the Rockies signed Smith to a minor league deal.[13]