Rodney Chad Smith (born June 8, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Career

Smith graduated from

McAdory High School McAdory High School (MHS) is a four-year State school, public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama suburb of McCalla, Alabama, McCalla. It is one of fourteen high schools in the Jefferson County Schools (Alabama), Jefferson ...

McCalla, Alabama McCalla is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson and Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa counties, Alabama, United States, southwest of Bessemer, Alabama, Bessemer and the geographic terminus of the Appalachian Moun ...

. He enrolled at

Wallace State Community College Wallace State Community College (formally George C Wallace State Community College) is a public community college in Hanceville, Alabama. Founded in 1966 as the George C. Wallace State Trade School of Cullman County, the college currently enro ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for two years. The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

selected him in the 23rd round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. He did not sign with Cleveland, and transferred to the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

, where he played college baseball for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

Miami Marlins

The

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

selected Smith in the 11th round, 323rd overall, of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, and signed with the Marlins. He spent his first professional season with the rookie-level

Gulf Coast Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays i ...

and Low-A

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...

. Smith spent the 2017 season with the Single-A

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

, logging a 3-2 record and 2.93 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 7 saves in 34 appearances. In 2018, he pitched in 30 games for the High-A

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

, registering a 5-3 record and 3.57 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work. He additionally led the organization in saves (tied with

Jumbo Díaz Jose Rafael "Jumbo" Diaz (born February 27, 1984) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays. He made his MLB debut in 2014. Diaz is nicknamed "J ...

, with 12. Smith split the 2019 season between Jupiter and the Double-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

, pitching to a cumulative 3-2 record and 4.54 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 6 saves in 41.2 innings of work across 34 games. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Colorado Rockies

On August 13, 2020, the Marlins traded Smith to the

in exchange for

Jesús Tinoco Jesús Rafael Tinoco (born April 30, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs and in Nippo ...

. Smith spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, posting a 2.97 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched. He was assigned to Albuquerque to begin the 2022 season. On May 28, 2022, Smith was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on May 29. He made 15 appearances for Colorado in his rookie campaign, logging a 7.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18.0 innings pitched.

Oakland Athletics

On December 6, 2022, the Rockies traded Smith to the

for minor-league pitcher Jeff Criswell. Smith was optioned to the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

to begin the 2023 season. The Athletics promoted him to the major leagues and he earned his first major league win on April 12. In 9 games for Oakland, Smith recorded a 6.75 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 12.0 innings of work. On July 4, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

after Manny Piña was activated from the injured list. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Las Vegas on July 6. On July 22, Smith was selected back to the major league roster. In 10 games for Oakland, he pitched to a 6.59 ERA with 9 strikeouts across innings pitched. Following the season on November 6, Smith was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Las Vegas. He elected free agency the same day.

New York Mets

On December 26, 2023, Smith signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. He was released by the Mets organization on March 25, 2024.

Personal life

His grandfather,

Norm Zauchin Norbert Henry Zauchin (November 17, 1929 – January 31, 1999) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox (1951, 1955–57) and Washington Senators (1 ...

, played in MLB in the 1950s.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Chad 1995 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Alabama Batavia Muckdogs players Colorado Rockies players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jupiter Hammerheads players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Oakland Athletics players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players People from McCalla, Alabama Salt River Rafters players Wallace State Lions baseball players