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New York Mets: All-time weirdest pitching windups in franchise history

By Elizabeth Muratore

PORT SAINT LUCIE, FL - MARCH 05: Pitcher Joe Smith #70 of the New York Mets pitches in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians in a spring training game on March 5, 2007 at Tradition Field in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
PORT SAINT LUCIE, FL - MARCH 05: Pitcher Joe Smith #70 of the New York Mets pitches in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians in a spring training game on March 5, 2007 at Tradition Field in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – JUNE 10: Joe Smith of the New York Mets pitches during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on June 10, 2007. The Tigers defeated the Mets 15-7. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Memorable Mets Windups: Joe Smith

Joe Smith was most recently thrust into the national baseball spotlight as a member of the AL pennant-winning Houston Astros in 2019, but loyal Mets fans will remember that the sidearmer got his start in Queens. Smith was the Mets’ third-round draft pick in 2006, and made his major league debut with the big club the following year.

In 2007 and 2008, Smith was a mainstay of the Mets’ bullpen. He appeared in 54 and 82 games, respectively, in those two seasons, almost rivaling “Perpetual Pedro” Feliciano in appearances. Despite the heavy workload, Smith was very effective in both years, compiling a combined 3.51 ERA as a New York Met.

Unfortunately, the Mets decided after the 2008 season that Smith was not worth keeping, with years of control left and a major league minimum salary to his name. They traded him away in a three-team deal with the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners that netted them the whopping return of Sean Green, J.J. Putz, and Jeremy Reed. The Mets also departed with Endy “the catch” Chavez and Aaron Heilman in that trade, who were both immortalized in 2006 for very different reasons.

Smith has enjoyed a long major league career since his days in Flushing and has featured his signature sidearm delivery in every one of them. He entered the 2020 season as baseball’s active leader in games pitched, though he then opted out of the season due to COVID-19. If he comes back strong in 2021, he has a chance to become the 17th pitcher in major league history with 1000+ career appearances.

Though Smith was only in Flushing for a couple of seasons, Mets fans today remember him well as one of the team’s most consistently reliable relievers in the last fifteen years.

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