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Handing it to Hans Guile helps Smith to be successful By GREG STILES Hans Smith has never been a pitcher that would rear back and chuck a 100 mph fastball past a startled hitter. The 22-year-old left-hander occasionally zips one over the plate at 90, but it's not speed that makes him tough to hit. It's not even his imposing 6-foot-9, 265-pound stature peering down from the mound. Rather, it's Smith's presence of mind and his ability to adapt that have allowed him to start his first full year of professional baseball with a bang, while making opposing bats whimper. In nine appearances as the closer for the Bakersfield Blaze, the Crater High graduate has chalked up a six saves - tops in the California League. "His success doesn't have so much to do with his stuff as his mentality," says Bakersfield Blaze pitching coaching Marty DeMerritt. "Hans is a perfect fit for his role. He's very strong mentally. He's also, for this point in his career, very, very good in situational pitching. He knows what he needs to do." DeMerritt, who spent time with the Cardinals, Brewers and Astros in his playing days, spends a good deal of his time teaching aspiring big-leaguers the mental game on the mound. Smith has been a pleasant surprise. "There have been times this season when I've gone to the mound in tight situations to talk to Hans," DeMerritt says. "I tell him we need to do this and need to do that. The look in his eyes is, 'Go ahead and go back to the dugout, I'm already thinking that.' That's what I love. It's a vital part of major-league baseball to get individual control. "He seems to have gone through those stages." That doesn't mean Smith will be warming up in the Tropicana Field bullpen for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays anytime soon. But it says volumes for a youngster who was playing for Fresno State University at this time last year. Entering Tuesday night's play, Smith had struck out 12, walked four and allowed no earned runs in 10� innings. Pretty fair numbers, especially considering the dry Southern California air makes for lofty hitting stats and pitching nightmares. "I knew what the weather was going to be and how the ball was going to fly," admits Smith. "The biggest difference is that it makes some pitchers nervous and they try not to go after hitters as much. "I didn't change a whole lot after spending four years in Fresno. Put metal bats in those guys' hands (like in college) and you learn bad things are going to happen eventually. The more you pitch, the more chance there is of something going wrong." With that in mind, pitchers need as many weapons as possible. If you lack a blazing fastball, it doesn't hurt to have a wide assortment of pitches to keep batters off balance. DeMerritt suggested Smith add a slider to his arsenal this spring. "The forkball has been my out pitch," Smith says. "I needed something to get the lefties out. Something to go the other way." Again, DeMerritt was amazed how quickly Smith turned the notion to motion. "He picked it up in a few days and used it almost right away," DeMerritt says. "He had no reservations, it was just go get 'em. "If I had done the same thing with some other pitchers, it might have taken a month before they threw it." DeMerritt says Smith has everything going for him and anticipates one day seeing him on a big-league mound. But not necessarily as a closer. "He doesn't fit the description of a guy that blows away hitters with a nasty breaking ball," DeMerritt says. "It would be ludicrous for me to say he's going to work his way up as a closer. But I can see him working his way up as a reliever. "He has all the ingredients of a major league pitcher. But baseball is so traditional and stereotyped that unless you have a breaking ball from outer space, you're not going to be in that role." That's all down the road. If there's one area in which DeMerritt has concern, it's Smith's girth. He doesn't mind the 265 pounds and says it often helps pitchers to carry a few extra pounds when the weather heats up. "I don't want to see Hans turn into a beanpole," DeMerritt says. "But as you work up each level, the meal money gets a little better and the food gets a little better. We're going to have to keep an eye on his weight." Nonetheless, Smith is getting the job done every time out. He takes his spot in the Blaze bullpen and waits for each game to take shape. When Bakersfield has the lead, he pays particular attention, and if it's a close game, he mentally gears up. "I don't really have a routine," Smith says. "I'm not particularly superstitious. I just like to stay relaxed and then go." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.