2023 Stats
W-L
11-11
ERA
5.00
WHIP
1.43
K
141
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Brought in as a veteran option on a rebuilding team, Smyly pretty much delivered as advertised for the Cubs in 2022. The lefty made 22 starts, compiling a strong 3.47 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 106 innings. He missed some time with oblique and shoulder issues, but for someone who last topped 130 innings in a season back in 2016, it would have been unrealistic to expect much more in terms of workload. Smyly recorded a 7.70 K/9 last year, which was a tick below his 8.79 career mark, though his average fastball sat at 92.6 mph, which was a bit ahead of his fastball in 2021 and mostly in line with his career numbers. Smyly declined his portion of a $10 million mutual option with the Cubs but will return to Chicago on a two-year, $19 million deal. He'll turn 34 during the 2023 season, so he's unlikely to take a huge step forward as a pitcher, and injuries remain a concern. However, Smyly should again provide a veteran presence in the rotation, and it's reasonable to expect production that looks similar to his 2022 numbers, especially with the signings of Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger lifting the floor of Chicago's defense. Read Past Outlooks

Takes loss in finale
Smyly (11-11) allowed three runs on two hits while retiring only a single batter to take the loss Sunday against the Brewers. He walked three.
ANALYSIS
Smyly struggled badly in the season finale, throwing just 11 of his 28 pitches for strikes and retiring only the one batter. The veteran southpaw bounced between the bullpen and rotation this year, ultimately making 23 starts and 18 relief appearances. Smyly finishes 2023 with an even 5.00 ERA across 142.1 innings. He's under contract next season in Chicago, though he's not an appealing fantasy option at this point in his career.
Smyly struggled badly in the season finale, throwing just 11 of his 28 pitches for strikes and retiring only the one batter. The veteran southpaw bounced between the bullpen and rotation this year, ultimately making 23 starts and 18 relief appearances. Smyly finishes 2023 with an even 5.00 ERA across 142.1 innings. He's under contract next season in Chicago, though he's not an appealing fantasy option at this point in his career.
Pitching Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2023 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
59
Last 10 Games
21
Last 5 Games
23
How many pitches does Drew Smyly generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Drew Smyly generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2023
-30%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021vs Left | .282 | 86 | 29 | 103 | 16 | |||
Since 2021vs Right | .252 | 261 | 91 | 276 | 53 | |||
2023vs Left | .338 | 36 | 14 | 47 | 6 | |||
2023vs Right | .238 | 103 | 39 | 98 | 20 | |||
2022vs Left | .191 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 2 | |||
2022vs Right | .258 | 78 | 18 | 84 | 14 | |||
2021vs Left | .285 | 37 | 7 | 39 | 8 | |||
2021vs Right | .263 | 80 | 34 | 94 | 19 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-2%
ERA at Home
2023
-25%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021Home | 4.28 | 1.19 | 153.2 | 9.4 | 2.6 | ||||
Since 2021Away | 4.35 | 1.43 | 221.1 | 7.7 | 3.1 | ||||
2023Home | 5.60 | 1.29 | 62.2 | 10.3 | 2.4 | ||||
2023Away | 4.20 | 1.47 | 79.1 | 7.8 | 4.1 | ||||
2022Home | 2.42 | 1.07 | 44.2 | 8.1 | 2.2 | ||||
2022Away | 4.23 | 1.28 | 61.2 | 7.4 | 2.2 | ||||
2021Home | 4.27 | 1.17 | 46.1 | 9.3 | 3.1 | ||||
2021Away | 4.59 | 1.49 | 80.1 | 7.7 | 2.8 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Drew Smyly compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.52K/9
8.9BB/9
3.5HR/9
1.6Fastball
92.0 mphERA
5.00WHIP
1.43BABIP
.317GB/FB
0.86Left On Base
68.4%Exit Velocity
81.2 mphBarrels/BBE
5.4%Spin Rate
2088 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
21.2%Swinging Strike
11.4%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
After allowing just two homers in 26.1 innings the previous season with the Giants, Smyly's long ball issue returned last year as he surrendered 27 dingers in 126.2 frames with the Braves. However, he caught a break as a fortunate 77.4 percent LOB mark helped keep his 4.48 ERA somewhat respectable. That said, Smyly's 21.4 percent strikeout rate was the lowest of his career as his cutter wasn't as effective as normal. Smyly had one only IL stint, a two-week stay in April for a sore forearm. After posting a 6.08 ERA in August, Atlanta moved the lefty to the bullpen. The veteran is slated to embark on his age-32 season and will begin the year with a back-end rotation spot for the Cubs. With his injury history and home run proclivity, he's hard to trust for fantasy purposes. Favorable matchups in pitcher's parks could be in play, but that's not the sort of outlook worthy of a roster spot.
More Fantasy News

Starting Sunday
Smyly will start Sunday's game against the Brewers, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returning to relief role
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday that Smyly will return to a bullpen role, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
ANALYSIS
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Seven earned runs in loss
Smyly (9-9) took the loss Tuesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers. He struck out four.
ANALYSIS
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Rejoining rotation Tuesday
Smyly is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Moved to bullpen
Cubs manager David Ross announced Wednesday that Smyly has been temporarily moved to the bullpen, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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