BIOGRAPHY
Burch Taylor Smith was born on April 12, 1990, in San Antonio, Texas. He is a pitcher in the MLB.
Smith attended Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. At Howard College, Smith's team was the 2009 NCJAA National Champion, and he was named the 2010 Western Junior College Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. Smith was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 49th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft and the 20th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft out of Howard but did not sign either time. He then attended the University of Oklahoma as a junior, going 10-4.
Smith was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. Pitching for the Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm in 2012, Smith went 9-6 with a 3.85 earned run average and 137 strikeouts. He started the 2013 season with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week in April 2013, and the Padres Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April with a 1.38 ERA over 5 starts.
Smith made his Major League debut Saturday, May 11, 2013, against the Tampa Bay Rays as he was called up from Double-A. In his Major League debut, Smith pitched a clean first inning, striking out his first two batters.
The New York Mets selected Smith in the Rule 5 draft on December 14, 2017, and immediately traded him to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. After a strong spring training, Smith was chosen as a member of the bullpen for Opening day.
On January 11, 2019, Smith signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was assigned to AAA San Antonio Missions to start the 2019 season. He has his contract selected to the major leagues on May 5, 2019.
On August 12, 2019, Smith was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants. With AAA Sacramento, he was 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings in which he struck out 18 batters. With the Giants, he was 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA in eight innings. Smith was designated for assignment by the Giants on February 10, 2020.
On February 15, 2020, Smith was traded to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.
