Drew Smyly is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on June 13, 1989 (age 32 years) in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States to Todd Smyly (father)and Toni Smyly (mother), and grew up in Maumelle, Arkansas. He was named Todd Andrew Smyly.
Furthermore, he attended Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, where he established school records for wins and strikeouts in his junior year. Over the years of play, Smyly has been impressive in his career pitching for the Duluth Huskies of the North woods League.
In 2010, Drew served in the Razorbacks starting rotation and got drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round (68th overall) of the 2010 MLB draft, receiving a $1.1 million signing bonus.
He previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Francisco Giants.
Before his professional career, Smyly played college baseball at the University of Arkansas. Todd Andrew Smyly whose nickname is “Big Shooter” competed for the United States national baseball team, winning the silver medal in the 2011 Pan American Games. He made his MLB debut in 2012.
Smyly’s Net Worth
Drew is one of the richest baseball players in the Atlanta Braves team. Looking at his contracts and his salary which is around $2 million, and with his main source of income being his career as a baseball player, Drew Smyly’s net worth is estimated at $8 million.
Smyly’s Salary
Drew’s salary started at $480,000 in 2012,$2,650,000 in 2015, to $7,000,000 in 2019. Drew Smyly’s salary as of December 2021 was a whopping $11,000,000 per year with no signing bonuses.
In a recent interview, Drew Smyly says he is the same pitcher he was 10 years ago. Smyly, now 32, still relies on the same three-pitch combination — cutter, sinker and curveball. The left-handered pitcher advanced to the 2012 World Series while learning his craft in Detroit. This comes as the pitcher celebrates 10years in his professional career in baseball. Drew made the headlines on Tuesday when he went onto the bereavement list just before their game against the White Sox leading Scott Effross to get called to start his first major league game for the Chicago Cubs.
Drew is an expensive player and is known to be one of the wealthiest players in the MLB. Smyly’s successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles.
Contracts
Drew Smyly signed a 1 year / $5,250,000 contract with the Chicago Cubs, including $5,250,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $5,250,000.
This year, Smyly will earn a base salary of $4,250,000, while carrying a total salary of $4,250,000.
Fangraphs
Atlanta Braves signed Drew Smyly to a one-year contract worth $11 million. Smyly was ranked No. 25th among Craig Edwards’s Top 50 Free Agents. However,the left-handed pitcher has a spotty injury history and an awful ERA and FIP over the last six seasons.
In 2020, Smyly was able to add 2.6 mph to each of his pitches in his arsenal, pushing his average fastball up to 93.8 mph.
That added velocity helped him post the highest strikeout rate of his career paired with the lowest FIP of his career, though it came in just 26.1 innings.
After a promising start to his career with the Tigers and Rays, Smyly was traded to the Mariners prior to the 2017 season.
A strained forearm suffered while competing internationally wound up requiring Tommy John surgery, but because that procedure was put off for so long in 2017, he didn’t get back up on the mound until 18 months after the initial injury.
He started off the 2019 year with the Rangers and really struggled with his command. That’s usually the last thing to come back after pitchers undergo Tommy John surgery, so it was no huge surprise that Smyly saw his walk rate jump up to 13.5% in Texas.
He was designated for assignment in late June 2019. He latched on with the Brewers for a couple of minor league starts, was released again, and finally found a home with the Phillies for the rest of the season.
Smyly signed a one-year contract with the Giants in January of this year and proceeded to have his best season in years.
Drew hasn’t been the best of pitchers for a while but that notwithstanding, his curveball became his best pitch in 2020. The only two home runs he allowed were hit off his curveball, but despite those two hitches he produced a .205 xwOBA and a .446 xwOBA on contact with the pitch.
Still, the upside is intriguing enough to give him an impressive one-year deal. It’s a high-risk, high-reward move, but the Braves feel like Smyly proved himself enough in his brief time in San Francisco. We are looking forward to a good year. One that fits an $11million contract.