He became a sidearm pitcher. The transformation was so easy, he wondered why he hadn't tried it before. I threw a few pitches sidearm, then a few more. I eased myself into it. At the end of the year, he was signed by the Tribe.
Some players have a difficult transition from one level to the next.
Smith came to his first big-league camp in February with no fanfare. He had supporters in the organization, but all right-handed sidearmers automatically are suspect. Baseball people assume that sidearmers will have problems against left-handed batters. And while Smith is not going to snag a spot on the Tribe roster, he made Manager Charlie Manuel pay attention. It is only a matter of time before he is promoted to the big leagues.