53MINNESOTA
TWINS
When the Twins traded Brian Dozier
to the Dodgers last July, their three-player
return package included a lefthanded reliev-
er whose role was a bit of mystery.
But Devin Smeltzer had a suggestion.
“He came in and said he really wants to
start again. We said, ‘OK, here’s the path to
doing that. Now show us. Go get it,’ “ said
chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, the man
who traded for the New Jersey native. “He
committed himself to the challenge, and
now he’s put himself in a great spot.”
That spot turned out to be Target Field
when the Twins called him up on May 28.
Smeltzer, a 2016 fifth-round pick out of
San Jacinto (Texas) JC, reported to spring
training stronger and more dedicated to
moving up, Falvey said. He also came armed
with a cutter and changeup which are miss-
ing more bats than ever.
“He just gets on the mound and attacks
the strike zone,” Falvey said. “He’s not afraid
of anything.”
The fearlessness may come from his past,
which dwarfs anything baseball could throw
his way.
A grapefruit-sized mass was discovered
in Smeltzer’s abdomen when he was 9 years
old, but he survived and the cancer has
been in remission for seven years.
Now 23, Smeltzer is a fiery competitor on
the mound who proved his rotation worthi-
ness by allowing just three runs in his five
April starts at Double-A Pensacola. His 0.60
ERA earned him a promotion to Triple-A
Rochester, where his breakthrough season
kept chugging along.
Prior to his callup, Smeltzer had recorded
a 1.15 ERA in 54.2 minor league innings,
with opponents hitting just .199 against
him.
“He’s got four pitches and the ability
to use all of them in all parts of the zone,”
Falvey said.
Smeltzer was getting a little lost in the
Dodgers’ system, and Los Angeles had
transitioned him to relief work, so the Twins
didn’t know exactly what they had when
they acquired him. Now?
“A lefthanded starter, (with velocity up
to) 90-93 (mph) and four pitches. It’s a pret-
ty good thing for us to have,” Falvey said.
—PHIL MILLER
NEW YORK
YANKEES
After making a solid pro debut in 2017 in
the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, outfield-
er Canaan Smith took a step back in 2018
while playing in 45 games for short-season
Staten Island.
Now in his third pro season and at low
Class A Charleston, the 20-year-old Smith
was displaying the type of ability the
Yankees saw two years ago.
“His numbers are similar now to what he
was doing in the Gulf Coast League at 18,’’
vice president of baseball operations Tim
Naehring said.
Through 36 games, the 6-foot, 215-
pound Smith hit .343/.412/.522 with three
home runs and three stolen bases. That was
quite a difference from a year ago when he
batted .191 in the New York-Penn League.
“He has hitting qualities that we like and
has put himself on the map,’’ Naehring said
of Yankees’ fourth-round pick in 2017 from
Rockwell-Heath High in Heath, Texas.
“He impacts the baseball. One thing that
is very impressive is the ability to recognize
pitches, which is huge in today’s game.’’
While Smith hasn’t displayed big home
run power yet, Naehring believes it will sur-
face for the lefthanded batter.
“He should be a power-type guy and his
power numbers should play up in Yankee
Stadium,’’ Naehring said. “We are looking at
a guy who controls the strike zone, makes
quality contact in the strike zone. He checks
a lot of boxes.’’
Those traits were there as a high school-
er.
“Jeff Deardoff saw him and fell in
love with him,’’ scouting director Damon
Oppenheimer said of the Florida area scout
who has a keen understanding of hitting.
“And (Texas area scout) Mike Leuzinger,
too. He had what we looked for in a hitter asa power guy with plate discipline. He made
hard contact, used the whole field and saw
the ball well.’’
—GEORGE KINGOAKLAND
ATHLETICS
Nearly every day, long before game time,
Jorge Mateo makes his way to a Pacific
Coast League field for extra work.
One afternoon he may be focusing on
footwork with an infield coach. The next
could be spent in the intoxicating presence
of Rickey Henderson learning the artistry
of baserunning. The Athletics have made a
point of bringing in their roving instructors
to try to turn this highly tooled prospect
into a major league force.
Last year was not good for Mateo. He hit
.230 and seemed overmatched in Triple-A.
He fell in the prospect rankings.
From the beginning, this year has been
different. The shortstop has hit and hit with
authority, batting .314 with 39 RBIs. His
seven home runs in 41 games is a sample of
his power potential. Most impressively, he
had succeeded on 11 of his 14 stolen base
attempts.
“His focus, maturity and hard work has
led to great improvement,” farm director
Keith Lieppman said. “And maybe he sees a
little of the light at the end of the tunnel. He
sees he’s close to the big leagues, and that
has inspired him.”At the age of 23, the native of the
Dominican Republic is maturing into the
player the A’s hoped he would become
when they acquired him from the Yankees
in the Sonny Gray deal.
Mateo’s outstanding tool is his speed.
Lieppman grades it as a 70 tool; not quite
Billy Hamilton but among the fastest in
baseball. The expectation is that he will
develop into a leadoff hitter with the abil-
ity to steal bases, and he now ranks as a
50-grade hitter with 60 power potential.
The A’s have him playing both shortstop
and second base this year, preparing for
wherever an opening may occur. Mateo’s
middle-infield defense now ranks at 50, with
potential to improve, and his arm strength
is above-average. With the tools and the
developing maturity, Mateo presents quite a
package for the future.
In addition to the quantifiable tools,
Mateo continues to learn the unquanti-
fiable. The more he plays, the more his
instincts develop. That happens in the club-
house, as well.
“He’s become a really good teammate,”
Lieppman said. “All the tools we’ve heard
about are starting to come into play.”
—CASEY TEFERTILLERSEATTLE
MARINERS
Righthander Ljay Newsome knew he
put in more work this offseason than ever
before, but even he didn’t expect results to
follow so quickly.
The 22-year-old Newsome had about
as dominant an April as any minor league
pitcher, allowing just six runs over six starts
for high Class A Modesto. Through 10 starts
he had gone 5-2, 2.01 with 82 strikeouts and
six walks in 58.1 innings.
The Mariners drafted Newsome out of
high school in Morganza, Md., in the 26th
round in 2015. The fifth-year pro also spent
last season in the California League.
Newsome’s strikeout rate had spiked to
12.7 per nine innings after checking in at 8.0
last season. He earned the California League
player of the month award for April.
“To get the results I’m getting after all
that hard work I did this offseason, it’s pretty
amazing,” Newsome said.
Newsome, who recorded a 4.87 ERA last
year, credits much of his success to his off-
season strength programs.
Newsome sat mostly between 87-89
mph with his fastball a year ago, occasion-
ally topping out at 91. This year he said he
was consistently sitting 90-94.
“It feels so good,” he said. “The results
have been a little surprising, but I’m just
going out and trying to do my business onAMERICAN LEAGUECONTINUED ON PAGE 54Devin Smeltzer urged the Twins to let him return to the rotation after joining the organization in the Brian Dozier deal.