Will Smith
34-Year-Old
2024 Stats
W-L
0-2
ERA
11.00
WHIP
2.22
K
7
SV
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Smith, who made his MLB debut with Kansas City back in 2012, will return to the organization more than a decade later after recently signing a 1-year, $5 million contract with the Royals. The veteran left-hander earned 22 saves for the Rangers last season and has 113 for his career, but really struggled over the final two months (7.45 ERA, 1.50 WHIP), eventually ceding closing duties in mid-August. He now joins a crowded late-inning mix and could be part of a closer committee in 2024 despite having the most experience in the 9th inning. Read Past Outlooks
Pulled from save situation
Smith was removed from a save situation Friday against the White Sox. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.
ANALYSIS
Called upon to protect a one-run lead, Smith struck out Yoan Moncada but then allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters he faced. That was enough for manager Matt Quatraro, who replaced Smith with James McArthur. The right-handed McArthur came through with a double play to secure the save, and with that, we may have witnessed a changing of the guard in the ninth inning for Kansas City. There have been no formal announcements in that regard, but Smith already had two losses, one blown save and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings this season before Friday's messy outing.
Called upon to protect a one-run lead, Smith struck out Yoan Moncada but then allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters he faced. That was enough for manager Matt Quatraro, who replaced Smith with James McArthur. The right-handed McArthur came through with a double play to secure the save, and with that, we may have witnessed a changing of the guard in the ninth inning for Kansas City. There have been no formal announcements in that regard, but Smith already had two losses, one blown save and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings this season before Friday's messy outing.
Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
16
Last 5 Games
17
How many pitches does Will Smith generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Will Smith generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-18%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-42%
BAA vs LHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .213 | 53 | 9 | 37 | 3 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .261 | 74 | 38 | 80 | 13 | |||
2024vs Left | .250 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
2024vs Right | .429 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 2 | |||
2023vs Left | .177 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 1 | |||
2023vs Right | .224 | 36 | 13 | 33 | 4 | |||
2022vs Left | .230 | 30 | 5 | 23 | 2 | |||
2022vs Right | .267 | 35 | 20 | 35 | 7 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-8%
ERA on Road
2024
-65%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 4.85 | 1.38 | 68.2 | 9.0 | 2.6 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 4.45 | 1.22 | 56.2 | 9.2 | 4.3 | ||||
2024Home | 16.62 | 2.54 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 6.2 | ||||
2024Away | 5.79 | 1.93 | 4.2 | 7.7 | 3.9 | ||||
2023Home | 4.50 | 1.13 | 30.0 | 7.8 | 2.1 | ||||
2023Away | 4.28 | 0.99 | 27.1 | 9.5 | 3.3 | ||||
2022Home | 3.67 | 1.46 | 34.1 | 10.5 | 2.6 | ||||
2022Away | 4.38 | 1.34 | 24.2 | 9.1 | 5.5 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Will Smith compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.40K/9
7.0BB/9
5.0HR/9
2.0Fastball
90.9 mphERA
11.00WHIP
2.22BABIP
.414GB/FB
0.54Left On Base
52.3%Exit Velocity
84.3 mphBarrels/BBE
9.1%Spin Rate
2219 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
31.8%Swinging Strike
9.9%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Will Smith See More
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Erik Siegrist looks over the free-agent options in the American League as the Jackson Holliday era begins in Baltimore.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Royals want to trade for closer
The Royals would prefer to trade for a closer and shift Smith to a setup role, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Rosenthal implies doubt that the Royals will be able to pull it off, however, viewing Devin Williams or Emmanuel Clase as unlikely trade matches and Kenley Jansen's $16 million salary prohibitive. Still, it's noteworthy for those participating in early fantasy drafts when considering Smith as a potential source for saves.
Rosenthal implies doubt that the Royals will be able to pull it off, however, viewing Devin Williams or Emmanuel Clase as unlikely trade matches and Kenley Jansen's $16 million salary prohibitive. Still, it's noteworthy for those participating in early fantasy drafts when considering Smith as a potential source for saves.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2010
After coming over in a trade from Atlanta on Aug. 1, Smith proceeded to make 24 relief appearances for Houston during the regular season, compiling a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and six holds in 22 innings. Overall he had a 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and five saves over 65 appearances, though a declining strikeout rate (to 9.92 K/9 - the worst since his rookie season) is a concern. Smith surpassed 30 saves in 2019 and 2021 with San Francisco and Atlanta, respectively, so he could be in the mix to close in Texas despite signing with the Rangers late in the spring.
More Fantasy News
Blows save against O's
Smith (0-2) was charged with his first blown save of the season Wednesday and took the loss against Baltimore, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.
ANALYSIS
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Notches first save
Smith threw a scoreless ninth inning and struck out one batter to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Orioles.
ANALYSIS
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Takes first loss
Smith (0-1) was charged with the loss after he surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks during the ninth inning Saturday versus the Twins.
ANALYSIS
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Light work in spring
Smith struck out two batters over a perfect inning in his lone Cactus League appearance.
ANALYSIS
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Seen as leading closing candidate
Smith, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Royals in December, is viewed as the leading candidate to serve as the team's closer to begin the season, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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