Tristan Smith Named CCBL Pitcher of the Week

By Mojo Hill

Bourne pitcher Tristan Smith was named the Cape Cod Baseball League Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday.

The Clemson left-hander has been a key cog in the rotation since joining the team in late June. His only shaky start came on July 2 when he gave up three runs in three innings, but he’s been a master of limiting hits since then.

He threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against Hyannis before a late-game meltdown on July 10, starting a streak of 19 innings with only seven hits allowed over four starts. He fired five no-hit innings in July 24’s doubleheader against Wareham, then shut down those same Gatemen on Polar Park the following Monday. He threw five scoreless innings once again and struck out seven.

Smith’s control has occasionally been erratic, particularly at the beginning of starts, but he’s settled in nicely for the most part. He walked the first two hitters he faced at Polar Park before bearing down and dominating. He’s allowed the same amounts of walks and hits, with 10 of each in 23 innings. His WHIP is 0.83, and his ERA is 1.56.

Smith was a big name in MLB draft discussions last year coming out of high school. He was projected by many to be a first-round pick, but he wasn’t selected in the top 10 rounds and decided to fulfill his commitment to Clemson instead. He posted a 4.55 ERA in his freshman season, limiting opposing batters to 24 hits in 34 1/3 innings but also issuing 25 walks.

Smith has gotten a chance to work on his game here with the Braves, and it’s already paying off. He joins Derek Bender in being named with a weekly award by the league this summer, as Bender won Player of the Week back in his first week with the club.

Smith is going to be an important asset down the stretch for the Braves as they look for any pitching they can get. With a fairly thin staff, a dominant presence in the starting rotation would be enormous.