It has been a year of learning for Dylan Smith, the Detroit Tigers’ third-round pick in 2021.
Learning how to pitch in a snowstorm.
Learning what pitches work best for him in pro ball.
And learning how to adjust when he is not at his best.
“He’s aced every test that we’ve given him,” Ryan Garko, the Tigers’ vice president of player development, said Saturday.
Now, Smith is learning the grueling reality of professional baseball — it’s an incredibly long season.
“He’s lost a little weight and lost a little (velocity) with it,” Garko said. “Kind of natural stuff for a young player to go through his first year.”
So the Tigers placed Smith, a right-hander, on the seven-day injured list.
“He experienced some arm fatigue, so we decided to be cautious with this being his first year and sent him to Lakeland for some time,” Garko said. “He’ll ramp back up and pitch in Lakeland, probably be back shortly after the All-Star break.”
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Snowy start
Smith was born in Texas and played college baseball at Alabama.
After spring training in Florida, he had to make a quick adjustment pitching in Grand Rapids in early April.
“It was snowing in my first professional game,” he said.
“Have you ever seen snow?” I asked.
“I’ve seen snow before, but it was literally snowing and sleeting outside,” he said, laughing.
For any high school player in Michigan, this is nothing new.
Or surprising.
But for somebody from the South?
It took time to adjust.
Smith learned to wear tights under his uniform. But most of all, he learned to work fast.
“Every time I got the ball, I would try to be quick on the mound — three up, three down — and then back in the dugout, so my team could warm up,” Smith said.
The cold weather didn’t hinder his performance.
Smith dominated at High-A West Michigan from April to May. He pitched 39 innings, recording 37 strikeouts with five walks.
“I dreamed of this moment,” Smith said. “I’m living out my dream, becoming a future MLB player.”
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Baseball family
Smith has also had to learn how to live with a host family, which he has enjoyed.
“I think it’s cool that you can go to someone else’s house and get to know another family,” Smith said.
He started living with the same host family as outfielder Parker Meadows and infielder Andrew Navigato. But after Meadows got called up to Double-A Erie, Smith was able to switch from the son’s room to the guest room.
That might seem like a small thing.
But when you are a young player in your first season of minor league baseball, where you are sleeping is a big deal.
When Navigato was called up, Smith moved again. “That’s when I moved to the biggest room which is the basement,” Smith said, laughing.
‘Second mother’
Smith is also learning how to deal with family issues from afar.
His grandmother, Wilhelmina Evans, who he calls a “big influencer on my life,” recently faced a major surgery, which rattled him.
“Honestly, it’s very tough,” Smith said. “It’s kind of hard being away from family, especially when they’re going through different circumstances health-wise.”
She spent weeks in the hospital but Smith said she has come out of it.
“She been there for me all my life,” he said. “She’s like a second mother to me. When I need advice, she’s the person you get that advice from. She’s always making good home-cooked meals for me, especially when I was in college.”
Rookie wall
Smith started to wear down and struggled in June. In 19 innings, he gave up 16 earned runs and 29 hits. He struck out 17 and walked eight.
It was unlike him.
And the Tigers didn’t mess around. They placed him on the injured list.
“We are in the dog days now in July, and he’s there now,” Garko said. “It’s his first year of pro ball. He’s done really well at that level. When he was fresh out of camp, he was dominating that league. I think the thing that he’s learning now, as are all of our first-year players, it’s a six-month season. When you include spring training, it is even longer.”
So the Tigers want him to rest. At least for a while.
Hoping to get him fresh again.
“I feel like this year is going great,” Smith said. “But there’s been a lot of ups and downs.”
Being cautious makes sense, especially with the No. 8 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline.
After an incredibly long list of pitchers with injuries this season, the Tigers can’t afford to lose another.
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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.