Long

A Conversation With

Seth Smith

By Steve Mayne

You played with the Rockies during the World Series and more power to you, that was awesome. But let’s get back to your beginning. High school, you played four sports?

Well, football’s my passion, and the Coach told me that I could come up there and play both. So I jumped at that opportunity, and, you know, even when my career kind of switched towards baseball, he still allowed me to be on the football team.

Right, yeah. That’s funny. We talk about it a lot. But he played, and I was Eli Manning’s backup. Did you know that Todd Helton was Peyton Manning’s backup in college?

Yeah. Cockrell was a college quarterback, played baseball, and still is with the Rockies organization. So, you’re in college, on the football team, quarterback, then all of a sudden you tried out for baseball?

Then you go to the off season, go to spring training, and a year or so later, I played a full season in double A and then last year I played pretty much a full season in triple A, and then I got called up to the Rockies in September.

The advancement that you made from the various levels, what was the biggest challenge that you had?

Well, each level presents its own challenge. You know, when you’re young and playing in rookie ball, you’re kind of feeling yourself out pretty much. You’re not really worrying about what’s going on. You’re trying to figure out what you do best. And then AA and AAA you know what you do well, and so you’re trying to figure out how best to counteract with what the pitcher is trying to do to you.

With that in mind, how much advice do you seek from the various coaches, the batting coaches, the hitting coaches?

Well, certainly in lower levels, I had a great coach in rookie ball who had big league experience and he gave me a lot of helpful things that I still use today in my approach to the plate that helped get me to where I am.

You know, the higher you get up the levels, the more kind of standoffish the coaches are. Whereas, you have to pretty much go to them for information or help because when you get here, most of the guys have big league time, so they have an idea of what’s going on.

The hitting coach here gives you a tip here or there. Most guys have one or two things that they struggle with. And the hitting coach is there to point those things out when you start doing them.

During your career from rookie ball coming up to the Sky Sox, were there ever any times that you got into some outrageous slump that you just couldn’t get out of?

Yeah. I mean, not terrible, but you know, there’s always -- every hitter’s going to go through hard times where the balls aren’t finding the holes or you can’t put the ball in play. And I’ve sure had several stretches like that.

Well, for me, when I’m not doing well, I’ll talk to them a little bit. But I like to just relax and start playing baseball again, just go up there and swing and let the ball get deep. I kind of take the opposite approach of some guys. A lot of guys will press. I try to do less when I’m not doing well.

You got called up to the Rockies in September 2007. Okay, why? Without me being stupid, why?

I don’t know. I’ve improved a lot since they had drafted me, and I had worked on the things that they told me I needed to work on. I guess they felt I was ready to help the Club. It’s kind of a numbers game. What they need up there and who they have in the Minor Leagues that can help them out.

Well, in September, the rosters expands to 40 players, and so, they like to call up guys that they think might fit in their future plans, just to get a look at them and get them accommodated to the surroundings in the Big League. I guess I was one of those guys. There wasn’t so much a hole. They did have a -- Willie Taveras was hurt, an outfielder. So it didn’t hurt my chances any.

Well, I was a pinch hitter, and only played two innings of defense. The rest of the time, including the playoffs, 15 at best.

Because you’re a pinch hitter, not getting many at bats, how difficult is it for you to get up there and be ready?

It’s tough, especially for a guy just getting to the Big Leagues who’s used to hitting in the middle of the order, playing everyday and not used to pinch hitting. So, you definitely talk to the guys that you know who have been pinch hitting and know how to prepare themselves. But, you get warm, you get loose, and when you get in the batter’s box, it’s an at bat, it’s no different than if it’s your first, second, third, or forth at bat of the game, it’s one at bat at a time.

Let’s back up. You get called up to the Majors. What’s it like when you’re facing those pitchers, those seasoned veterans that are out there?

It’s a little unnerving at first. You look out there and, there’s guys that you watch on TV, and it’s kind of like surreal that you’re there.

Yeah, well, they’re the best there is. But, you know, there’s not that big of a gap when you get away from the top tier of pitchers, they’re better, but not that much better.

Have you found yet in playing triple A ball that a certain pitcher has your number?Not naming any names.

Well, it’s not so much a single pitcher -- kind of like a type of pitcher that would give, well, I guess, problems. So it’s not like one particular guy, but it’s a guy with a certain arm slot.

What do you think your chances are getting called back up if you perform to that level of batting .325?

I bat three and a quarter, I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t at some point have an opportunity to play with them. But, it’s like I said, it’s all a numbers game. It’s all about what they need and what holes I can fill.

Either. I’ve played right field way more than anything else, but centerfield has a lot more ground to cover, but it’s easier to see the ball come off the bat so you get better jumps.

Okay. There really isn’t much difficulty in making the transition from playing outfield in Minor League parks than going to Major League parks?

Well, like I said, I only have two innings defensively in the big leagues, but what I hear, hitting wise, you know, the batter’s odds are way better in the big leagues and the balls are way better and the lighting’s way better. So I would assume that ...

Well, they’re tighter, so there’s -- I don’t know anything about physics, but I would assume that there’s less energy lost when you hit a big league ball.

So, there is a difference in the compression between a big league ball and a triple A ball?

Probably. They’re local here in Colorado Springs. Is it frustrating, are they inconsistent in the Minor League? From park to park?

I mean, when calling balls and strikes, do they all have the same ball and strike zone? Or does it stretch? And how frustrating is it for you?

No, to question #1, sometimes, to question #2, and yes, to question #3. It can be frustrating at times, but when you remember the umpire and you remember their zone, and as long as they are consistent within their zone, then you’re, I mean, you live with it.

Can you talk to them as a player prior to the game to see “how are you going to call the balls and strikes today?”

No. There’s none of that. You don’t really ask them. When you’re hitting, you have an opportunity between pitches, if you want to, to say, “Is that as far outside as you’ll go?” And most of the time, they’re pretty cordial. “Yeah, that’s as far as I’ll go,” or you know, “I might go a little further”. As long as you treat them with respect, they’ll treat you with respect and, if you have a good relationship, it’ll help you tremendously.

I’ve asked this to all the players and managers, coaches, pitchers I’ve interviewed, over the years. Do you feel at all that there’s certain umpires at certain times, that maybe balls and strikes aren’t fairly called?

Me personally, I haven’t seen any of that. Like an umpire has something against me or the team, you know, I think, especially in triple A, those umpires are trying to get to the big leagues also. And it’s performance based. They have guys watching them in the stands to make sure they’re doing a good job. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re out there being neutral, just trying to do the best job they can do.

She’s out here with me. It’s the first season that she’s been with me, so I’m pretty excited about that.

Are you able to shake off a bad game so that when you get home you don’t take it out on her?

No doubt. I guess, I was telling you earlier about staying on an even keel, you know, whether you have a really good game or a really bad game. I guess that’s kind of a quarterback mentality that I’ve kept with me that, , no matter what good’s happening or bad’s happening, I’m going to stay the same.

But, at the end of the day, when I leave the ballpark and I go home with my wife, I’m done. I’m away from the field. I have relationships to worry about that are way more important than the game of baseball.

Right now, it’s not so much the game of baseball. It’s kind of -- the only thing that she may get a little frustrated with would be like the situation that we’re in where we’ve had a good season in triple A, but there’s really no where for us in the big league, so we’re kind of in the middle. It’s all, like I said, it’s a numbers game and what they need. But, honestly, we don’t worry about it so much.

Talking about the numbers game, are you ever privileged to when the organization is thinking of putting you up for a trade?

No. They don’t tell us any of that stuff. We would find out the same time you would probably. You know, they trade us and then call us. Fortunately, I haven’t had to go through any of that, but, it’s a business. They have a business to run. They don’t want to leak any information.

Well it seems like as good as you are, either I would think it’s going to be a call up to the Rockies or you’re probably going to get traded for somebody that needs somebody with your talent. Is that something you would be disappointed in?

My wife and I talk about it all the time. We love the Rockies. We love Denver. We love the team, you know, everything that goes along with that. But obviously, I want to play in the big leagues. Sure, I would be upset, to an extent, to leave the Rockies, but if it meant playing in the big leagues, I’d get over it pretty quick.

Yeah, you would think. When you got called up to the Rockies, did that make for an adjustment to your salary?

Right, exactly. And there’s no negotiating right now. There’s just -- I mean, I can’t get into all the details, but until you get three years in Big Leagues, you have no say in anything. They tell you what you make and you just go with it.

Okay. Being called up, the first day you got up to the Rockies, what was it like for you? Because you hadn’t been up there before had you?

Right, that was my first time. It was amazing. I got hurt before I got called up, so I had been up there for a couple of weeks before I got activated. And when I got activated and put the uniform on, I was able to play in the game and play in the outfield and just kind of see what was going on and, you know, it happened, the first game I got to play in was the first game of the streak that got us to the playoffs, so, the whole time I was up there was special.

How did the guys who were there in the Bigs, how did they react to, not only having you come in, but you know, having a group come in from the Minors?

They’re great. The guys in the Club house are great guys, and they understand what’s going on, and they understand that there’s young guys that need to get playing time. But at the same time, they were secure in themselves and their roles that we’re not, right now anyway, going to take any of their jobs. So, I mean, it was very cordial and I made some good friends.

Any of the guys take it upon themselves to kind of take you under their wing to an extent and show you around, talk to you about what’s going on?

Yeah. There’s a lot of that going on. A certain guy will pick out another guy and take him under his wing. I was fortunate, I had LaTroy Hawkins and Matt Herges that showed me the ropes and told me what I could and couldn’t do kind of a deal. But for the most part you just sit there and observe and see what’s going on, watch Todd Helton and Matt Holiday go about their business and try to take things from them that can help you.

What was the experience like being part of this streak. It was like the Twilight Zone.

No. It was crazy because during the streak nobody really even talked about it. Nobody was any different. You show up to the park and there’s a game to play and you need to win it and that was it. The guys just went about their business the same way they had the whole season, I assume, and certainly since I have been there.

Getting back to Colorado Springs, we have the altitude. We have the thin air, etc. How much of an adjustment do you have to make playing the outfield here than playing the outfield in other triple A parks.

It’s not bad. When the wind’s not blowing, it’s fairly normal. You know, it being your home park, you’re used to adjustments, and it just takes one BP on the road stadium, and you can see how the ball flies there. It’s not a huge deal.

No. I’m actually going to be moving around, playing right, left, and center, because as an outfielder, you don’t want to just be able to play one. If you can play all three, that kind of adds to your value, so that’s kind of what I’m shooting for.

The whole experience that you’ve been through, what would you say to that aspiring baseball player in high school? If he was offered to get into Rookie Ball right out of high school, and he was also offered a scholarship to go to college. What would you recommend?

I was drafted out of high school, and I wasn’t ready to play professional baseball, so I went to college. But I wasn’t exactly real high. If you get drafted real high and they throw a lot of money at you, it changes a lot of things. But, you know, what I learned in college and my college experience, I wouldn’t trade for anything. So, for me, I went to college

But when you got drafted after your junior year, you went into ball. Do you feel that you want to finish up on your education?

Right. When I’m done, hopefully, I’ll go back to college for fun just to get an education and not really need it. Hopefully I can play that long.

How good is your eye when it comes to giving batting tips to other players? Can you see what they do wrong, if there’s a hitch in their swing? In other words, would coaching be something down the road for you, because you have that good eye?

I don’t know if it would be better than anyone else’s, but, you know, the team we have here, I’ve played with a lot of these guys through my whole career. You can watch them hit and you can see what they’re doing wrong, what they struggle with and what they need to work on. And they can do the same to me. So I don’t know if that makes me coaching material. I guess it makes me really observant.

Have you ever had situations where a friend of yours was in a slump and you were able to talk to him about, “Hey, I think this is what’s going on”?

Yeah, it happens. You have to be careful, because you don’t want to step on any toes. You don’t want to try to tell them what they’re doing wrong and make it seem like you know everything kind of deal.

Do you think that you have temperament to -- if, let’s say the career wound down six years from now, whatever, and you’re 30, even though you’d like to play longer, do you think you’d have the temperament to want to go into coaching?

I could do it, I think, yeah. That would be something that I would be interested in. Probably at a higher level, not so much at a teaching level but more a -- point out one or two things and kind of talk about the mental aspects of the game.

As a hitter, as an offensive player, do you feel really that aluminum bats should be outlawed?

Yeah, I think so. I don’t see any reason to use them, especially as big and strong as the guys are now. You know, you see people get hurt with wooden bats. And people, obviously, get hurt with aluminum bats. If professional baseball uses wooden bats, why not start early.

With that being said, you’re the person who goes for the hits and when the homers come, they come. But, do you like to punch singles? You like to go for doubles?

I just like to hit, you know, depending on the pitcher and the situation and what’s he pitching me and how he’s pitching me. How many outs? Every at bat there’s a situation that needs to be addressed. And so that’s what I do. You know, you have the guys that will try to hit a home run every time. You have the guys that will, punch the ball a lot. And then I try to be a little of both.

Are there times during the game that that ball coming in looks like a softball and you know you’re in the zone, you can’t miss it. Then all of a sudden the ball’s like the size of a golf ball?

Yeah, definitely. And there’s nothing you can do about it. You can hit in the cage all you want, but some days you’re just not going to see the ball. And some days the ball’s going to seem huge. When the ball is huge you get a lot of hits. And when the ball is small, you try to get a couple hits. And that’s how you’re successful in baseball.

No, I don’t do anything. I just eat what’s in front of me and sleep and work out every once in awhile and, you know, just go out there and play hard.

Seasons over. Off season happens. You’re out of Colorado Springs. You’re back home to --

Seth, the best of luck to you. I hope you’re back with the Rockies soon. It’d be a pleasure to follow your big league career.