An All-Star in a Season with No All-Star Game 🤔


Caleb Smith could be a big beneficiary of a 2 month season like there will be this year in Major League Baseball. Smith has shown flashes of dominance in his brief 2 year Major League career. But health in a taxing 162 Game Big League schedule has been a factor in 2018 & '19.

 Overlooked trade?

The first trade the Marlins made under this new ownership group wasn't a headline grabber at the time. Especially as 4 All-Stars were dealt that same offseason, including one with the same New York Yankees involving Giancarlo Staton. Yes, the first trade the Fish made under C.E.O. Derek Jeter was with his former club. The Marlins dealt Minor League prospect Michael King along with International Signing Pool money to the Yanks for Garrett Cooper and Caleb Smith. New York may have cared more about the cash (where there are limits each Team can spend on the International market), as they were trying to sway superstar Shoei Ohtani (who wound up with the Angels). Cooper & Smith had just made their debuts the previous season in 'Pin-Stripes' with a cup of 2017 coffee. They may have been viewed as expendable in a deep Yankees farm system at the time. Who knows, maybe a parting gift for Jeter after his legendary career under the bright lights? Either way, it's turned in to a complete steal for Miami. 

Talent
                                                                                        Though both men have been bitten by the injury bug at different stages of their 2 year Marlin' tenures. There is no denying the caliber of their play can certainly play up at the highest of levels. Cooper popped 15 dingers and drove-in 50 in just a little over 100 games last year. While Smith was the Marlins' best Starter during good amount of stretches the last 2 Seasons. Caleb opened the 2018 season in the Rotation, mostly because of the familiarity the Marlins revamped Front Office had with the Lefty (Jeter brought a lot of staff over from New York with him in October of 2017), and after settling in, Smith turned a page. He was 5-4 with a 3.50 ERA his last 12 Starts of 2018, before lat surgery ended his season. Returning from injury, Smith came back quicker than expected in 2019. Again opening  in the Rotation, it looked as though the southpaw was headed to the All-Star game. His first 12 starts saw Smith pitch to a 3.41 ERA, with 82 strikeouts in 66 Innings. Before hip inflammation sidelined him for a month, an injury that may have continued to bother him upon return. Coupled with the career high 153.1 Innings (2nd most on the Marlins) he pitched in 2019, fatigue may have also played a role as he pitched to a 5.36 ERA over his last 16 Starts of the Season.

Sprint no longer a marathon 

The old baseball adage that "a baseball season is not a sprint, it's a marathon", no longer applies in 2020. Thanks to the Corona Virus Pandemic, we're looking at a 60 game sprint to the finish line. As a matter of fact, 12 Starts maybe all a Starting Pitcher gets, in this short Season (though we hope there's more for Marlin Starters 😉 #Playoffs), and we've seen the run of success Caleb Smith has had twice in exactly 12 Start stretches. Sure there will be no "All-Star Game" this year, but Caleb Smith may very well be an "All-Star" in a Season with no All-Satr Game.






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