Josh Smoker, Relief Pitcher

Date of Birth: 11/26/1988
Birthplace: Calhoun, Georgia

Josh Smoker, relief pitcher, was a top player in high school. In 2007, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Georgia. He was drafted that June by the Washington Nationals. He pitched in the Nationals' minor league system from 2007 through 2012. He was a starting pitcher from 2007 through 2009, then a starting pitcher and a reliever in 2010, finishing as primarily a relief pitcher in 2011 and 2012. He had rotator cuff surgery in 2013 and he missed the entire season.

Smoker became a free agent on November 5, 2013. No teams signed him and he played for an independent league in 2014.

The New York Mets signed Smoker on April 2, 2015. He spent the 2015 season in the minors. In 2016, he pitched in 20 games with the Mets. He had a 4.70 ERA, 3 wins and no losses, and 25 strikeouts to 4 walks in 15.1 innings. He also pitched in 52 games in the minors.

Smoker pitched in 54 games with the Mets in 2017. He finished the season with 1 win and 2 losses, 68 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a 5.11 ERA in 56.1 innings.

The Mets traded Smoker to the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 31, 2018. The Detroit Tigers claimed him off waivers on July 28, 2018. He was released on September 7th. He spent most of the 2018 season in the minors, pitching just 7.1 innings in 7 games with the Pirates and 1 game with the Tigers.

Smoker signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 8, 2018. He was released on May 7, 2019. He played in the minors and with an independent league team in 2019.

Smoker hasn't played professional baseball since 2019.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Josh Smoker
MiLB - Josh Smoker
ESPN - Josh Smoker