Will Smith
34-Year-Old
2024 Stats
W-L
0-2
ERA
6.38
WHIP
1.58
K
12
SV
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Smith, who made his MLB debut with Kansas City back in 2012, will return to the organization more than a decade later after recently signing a 1-year, $5 million contract with the Royals. The veteran left-hander earned 22 saves for the Rangers last season and has 113 for his career, but really struggled over the final two months (7.45 ERA, 1.50 WHIP), eventually ceding closing duties in mid-August. He now joins a crowded late-inning mix and could be part of a closer committee in 2024 despite having the most experience in the 9th inning. Read Past Outlooks
Handling low-leverage role well
Smith has allowed two runs over nine innings since the start of May.
ANALYSIS
Smith doesn't have the best control, having allowed six hits and three walks with just five strikeouts in that span. He's also picked up two of his four holds in that stretch, though manager Matt Quatraro has mostly kept Smith out of high-leverage situations since early April. The left-hander's season-long numbers remain poor (6.38 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 12:8 K:BB), but he's been less volatile recently. With James McArthur, John Schreiber and Chris Stratton all pitching at a mediocre level in May, there could eventually be a path to high-leverage chances for Smith if he can keep performing well.
Smith doesn't have the best control, having allowed six hits and three walks with just five strikeouts in that span. He's also picked up two of his four holds in that stretch, though manager Matt Quatraro has mostly kept Smith out of high-leverage situations since early April. The left-hander's season-long numbers remain poor (6.38 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 12:8 K:BB), but he's been less volatile recently. With James McArthur, John Schreiber and Chris Stratton all pitching at a mediocre level in May, there could eventually be a path to high-leverage chances for Smith if he can keep performing well.
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
14
Last 10 Games
13
Last 5 Games
14
How many pitches does Will Smith generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Will Smith generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-22%
BAA vs LHP
2024
-55%
BAA vs LHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .203 | 56 | 10 | 38 | 3 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .261 | 76 | 40 | 85 | 13 | |||
2024vs Left | .160 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |||
2024vs Right | .354 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 2 | |||
2023vs Left | .177 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 1 | |||
2023vs Right | .224 | 36 | 13 | 33 | 4 | |||
2022vs Left | .230 | 30 | 5 | 23 | 2 | |||
2022vs Right | .267 | 35 | 20 | 35 | 7 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-13%
ERA on Road
2024
-69%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 4.76 | 1.36 | 73.2 | 8.7 | 2.6 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 4.13 | 1.20 | 61.0 | 9.0 | 4.3 | ||||
2024Home | 9.64 | 1.71 | 9.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 | ||||
2024Away | 3.00 | 1.44 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | ||||
2023Home | 4.50 | 1.13 | 30.0 | 7.8 | 2.1 | ||||
2023Away | 4.28 | 0.99 | 27.1 | 9.5 | 3.3 | ||||
2022Home | 3.67 | 1.46 | 34.1 | 10.5 | 2.6 | ||||
2022Away | 4.38 | 1.34 | 24.2 | 9.1 | 5.5 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Will Smith compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.50K/9
5.9BB/9
3.9HR/9
1.0Fastball
91.1 mphERA
6.38WHIP
1.58BABIP
.324GB/FB
0.54Left On Base
61.1%Exit Velocity
83.7 mphBarrels/BBE
7.2%Spin Rate
2234 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
23.7%Swinging Strike
10.3%Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Will Smith See More
Erik Siegrist checks out the waiver wire in the American League and thinks Boston's David Hamilton should be getting more attention from fantasy GMs.
The New York Yankees return home after a successful West Coast swing, and Todd Zola showcases them in this edition of the Weekly Hitter Rankings.
The Kansas City Royals take on the San Diego Padres, and John Bollman has the MLB Best Bet for Saturday, June 1.
Yordan Alvarez and the Houston Astros get to take aim at all right-handers next week, and Todd Zola delivers his Weekly Hitter Rankings with some teams having favorable matchups on their upcoming schedule.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Royals want to trade for closer
The Royals would prefer to trade for a closer and shift Smith to a setup role, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Rosenthal implies doubt that the Royals will be able to pull it off, however, viewing Devin Williams or Emmanuel Clase as unlikely trade matches and Kenley Jansen's $16 million salary prohibitive. Still, it's noteworthy for those participating in early fantasy drafts when considering Smith as a potential source for saves.
Rosenthal implies doubt that the Royals will be able to pull it off, however, viewing Devin Williams or Emmanuel Clase as unlikely trade matches and Kenley Jansen's $16 million salary prohibitive. Still, it's noteworthy for those participating in early fantasy drafts when considering Smith as a potential source for saves.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2010
After coming over in a trade from Atlanta on Aug. 1, Smith proceeded to make 24 relief appearances for Houston during the regular season, compiling a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and six holds in 22 innings. Overall he had a 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and five saves over 65 appearances, though a declining strikeout rate (to 9.92 K/9 - the worst since his rookie season) is a concern. Smith surpassed 30 saves in 2019 and 2021 with San Francisco and Atlanta, respectively, so he could be in the mix to close in Texas despite signing with the Rangers late in the spring.
More Fantasy News
Pulled from save situation
Smith was removed from a save situation Friday against the White Sox. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Blows save against O's
Smith (0-2) was charged with his first blown save of the season Wednesday and took the loss against Baltimore, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Notches first save
Smith threw a scoreless ninth inning and struck out one batter to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Orioles.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Takes first loss
Smith (0-1) was charged with the loss after he surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks during the ninth inning Saturday versus the Twins.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Light work in spring
Smith struck out two batters over a perfect inning in his lone Cactus League appearance.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.