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MOOSIC — When Caleb Smith was called up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 13, he didn’t know what his future would entail.
For all he knew, he could have been sent back down to Double-A Trenton. But fast-forward 17 days later and the lefty is still with the RailRiders and performing at the top of his game.
With a 1.20 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP in three starts heading into Sunday’s start against the Indianapolis Indians, Smith has carved himself a role in the starting rotation.
“I feel like I’m starting to get into a routine,” Smith said. “I got the call, came in not knowing how long I’d be here — if it was for a spot start or if I was going to be here for a while. I just feel like I kind of made it tough for them to send me back. That was the goal.”
The first few days following Smith’s call-up were rough on the 25-year-old.
Smith had both his girlfriend and his son in town and not only did he have to balance the uncertainty of his immediate future, but he had to find them a place to stay, too. But with things more stable now, Smith can focus more on the game and can settle in.
“I feel like I can just relax and go out and play the game,” Smith said. “I’ve had really good command of my fastball and pretty good command of my off-speed pitches. I’ve been just letting them put it in play and the defense is making plays behind me.”
Smith started out his professional career primarily as a starting pitcher in the lower levels, but last season the 14th-round pick came out of the bullpen often for Trenton. Appearing in 27 games, only seven were starts for the Thunder. Smith even made three saves.
Back as a starter this season, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders pitching coach Tommy Phelps has been impressed with what he has seen.
“He’s got a really good fastball. He has three really good pitches,” Phelps said. “His previous outing he commanded both sides of the plate and pitched in well. He mixed some good sliders in there at times. A little inconsistent, but he’s shown some quality ones along with his changeup.”
He believes that Smith’s time with the Chicago Cubs big-league camp this spring has been extremely beneficial. The Cubs selected him in the December Rule 5 Draft, but Smith didn’t make the major league roster and was sent back to the New York Yankees.
“I’m sure he’s got some confidence coming from that, and especially playing with the world champions, but he’s started a lot in his career,” Phelps said. “It’s not a big transition for him, but just working up and building up. We’re taking him along slowly to get him built up. But I don’t think (starting) is a big deal for him because he already has a routine, he already has a process of how he approaches his game and he’s just going from there.”
The trip to the Cubs’ big-league camp was Smith’s first real taste of major league spring training. While it didn’t end in the result he had hoped, his stay in Mesa, Ariz. only adds fuel to the fire.
“I had a lot of fun,” Smith said. “I felt like I had to go over there and just prove myself from the start. I didn’t have any room to do bad. I had to perform right away, so I think that helped me focus a lot more and I’ve carried that over to here. I kind of got a taste of it over there and it hasn’t gone away.”
For however long Smith’s stay with the RailRiders is, he plans on using all of his resources around him to help better his game.
“It’s a good experience to be around people who have been in the big leagues, just to watch them — see how they carry themselves,” Smith said. “Just (want) to do the best that I can and give the team the best opportunity I can to win.”