The Edge of Seventeen: Josh Smoker

[Edgy MD]

For much of the winter, the Mets were staying out of the lefthanded reliever market. And that looked good for me. I mean, there was me, there was Edgin, there was Gilmartin, and somewhere in the back of the room was some guy named Roseboom. But I looked at it like, you know, there was me and there was everybody else. I figured the Mets did too. I mean ... they weren't buying. And, you know, cool name and stuff.

And then, at the dawn of spring training, in comes Gorzelanny, and back come Blevins. And it was a minor reality check for me. It was, I admit. It's a competitive field, and nothing's going to be handed to you on a platter. I mean, 15 1/3 innings and a 4.70 ERA shouldn't guarantee anybody anything. I get that.

But you know what's behind those numbers? In that 15 1/3, I struck out 25 guys and walked only four. You don't bury a guy like that. You don't recruit over a guy like that. I think that guy looks a little less like Royce Ring 2005 and a little more like Randy Myers 1986. He looks like a man with a future. What does he look like to you?

[fimg=371]http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Josh+Smoker+New+York+Mets+v+St+Louis+Cardinals+psRi3WcXVpIl.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=349]http://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/josh-smoker.jpg[/fimg]
[fimg=150]http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/northwestgeorgianews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/c7/5c7a42cc-79ea-11e6-a631-cfc17033b30d/57d8571f43225.image.jpg?resize=300%2C389[/fimg] [fimg=276]http://media.nj.com/mets_main/photo/19834820-large.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=292]http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Josh+Smoker+NQQB5FPbNQum.jpg[/fimg]

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: What does he look like to you?

Like a guy who sucks up to the established boys by shrink-wrapping the car of the minor league player, OF Kevin Kaczmarski, who parked in deGrom's parking spot.

[fimg=350]http://mlb.mlb.com/assets/images/8/0/6/220165806/cuts/plastic_car_cdupsmdx_8s7kvtbt.jpg[/fimg]

[MFS62]

He looks like a guy who will continue to smoke 'em at the major league level this year. 55 G, 48 IP (c'mon Terry, give him a chance against all hitters), 63 K, 2.78 ERA.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Where there's smoker, there's​ firer. I think this guy has the goods and I liked the spirit with which he does his thing which I think matters for the kind of role he will have. Results will be mixed with more good than bad but likely some of each.7-5, 3.45 60 outings, a couple of saves.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Smo-ker, SmokerSmoker - Smoke! - Smoke!
Smo-ker, SmokerSmoker - Smoke! - Smoke! ©...
... in 2017

[Edgy MD]

Smoker started tonight for the 51s. I don't know if they're stretching him to experiment with actually changing his role, or they were just desperate, but he went 4.2 innings, giving up just two hits and no runs, walking none and striking out three.

Starting pitching is breaking down all through the system, with Mets teams at every level seemingly falling behind early by several runs on a nightly basis.