51s’ Josh Smoker finds pitching clicking after trip to major leagues

Josh Smoker’s trip to the majors was quick.

It was so quick that he didn’t have time to let it sink in, and some of the details already have slipped his mind.

But he was there. He was a major leaguer, even if it was just for a few innings.

“I’ve always wanted to be up in the big leagues, but once you get to get a quick little taste of it, it makes you want it that much more,” Smoker said. “Just to see how much better things are in the big leagues versus here, it definitely makes you want to get up there faster.”

Smoker was called up to serve as the Mets’ 26th man in a July 26 doubleheader. He left Fresno, where the 51s had just arrived, at the crack of dawn. He arrived during the sixth or seventh inning of the second game and finished changing as he was heading out to the bullpen. He didn’t pitch and returned to the 51s in Fresno the next day.

But with the way he’s been pitching, there’s no doubt he’ll be back in the majors soon enough. Since the All-Star break, Smoker has given up three runs — one earned — in 15 innings pitched as of Monday, good for a 0.60 ERA during that time.

Manager Wally Backman has seen a more determined player as the year has progressed, and pitching coach Frank Viola sees a guy who has developed as a pitcher.

Smoker himself has felt refreshed since the break — both physically and mentally. His cutter, a relatively new pitch for him, has been starting to click, and he said a meeting that Viola held with the pitchers right before the break has led to him working both sides of the plate more.

For him, all that brought a return of his confidence. He noticed it right after the All-Star break. He started feeling like whenever he stepped on the mound, he could get anybody out.

“Early in the season, it was always kind of wishy-washy as to how I felt when I got out to the mound mentally, and I think coming with what Frank said and the All-Star break and me finally getting a hang of that cutter,” Smoker said. “I think all that stuff added up, helped to build my confidence a little bit, and I think I kind of just took it from there.”

The results are hard to dispute. Smoker has been knocking again on the doorstep, something which seemed inconceivable just a couple years ago.

A supplemental first-rounder in 2007, Smoker dealt with shoulder issues and eventually found himself out of affiliated baseball in an independent league before latching on with the Mets last season.

From there, he had to work his way through the lower levels of the minors before earning a spot on the 40-man roster and eventually getting called up to the majors.

“He’s come a long ways,” Backman said. “To do the things he’s done and to come back and throw as hard as he throws, for me is like a Cinderella story because this kid’s going to get to the big leagues, and if he stays healthy — and I think he will because of his work ethic — he’s going to have a very nice career in the major leagues.”

Certainly one that’s longer than four innings.

If he doesn’t get called up before then, Smoker looks like a near lock to be a September call-up. Backman said he would be “absolutely shocked” if he wasn’t.

In the meantime, while he’s in Las Vegas, he’s working more on developing the cutter to use against lefties — and sometimes to righties, too. He tried to develop a slider in the offseason but never got a good feel for it and instead turned to a cutter.

Viola also said over the last six to eight weeks Smoker has gained a better understanding of when to throw what, when, where and how.

“He’s piecing things together (and) understanding who he is and he’s giving (himself) the best chance to succeed, and that’s all you can ask for in this game,” Viola said. “I think that they’ve noticed up there.”

Betsy Helfand can be reached at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @BetsyHelfand