Seattle Mariners right-handed pitching prospect Adam Smith had a rough night in the Arizona Fall League All-Star Game on Sunday, and it came at the worst possible time for the American League.
With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Smith was tagged for three earned runs on four hits in just 0.2 innings. He also issued a walk, and the loss went to him in the AL’s 7-4 defeat to the National League.
The American League did push across a run in the top of the ninth to trim the margin to 6-4, and the National League still batted in the bottom half even though the outcome was already decided. That extra inning work was simply about giving more players reps.
Smith has still put together a solid AFL body of work overall. He’s 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA across seven appearances, all of them out of the bullpen. In 6.2 innings, he has struck out 10.
The 26-year-old was drafted in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of UNC Wilmington by the San Diego Padres before joining the Mariners organization in 2026. Since then, he’s spent time with High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas. He also had a stint in the independent Atlantic League in April before arriving with Seattle.
At Everett, Smith went 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 16 games. At Arkansas, he was 3-4 with a 4.76 ERA in 17 appearances. Combined, he finished the season 6-5 with a 3.25 ERA.
Smith had already reached Double-A once before, appearing in one game for the Boston Red Sox organization in 2025. Now he has 17 more Double-A games under his belt with the Mariners, and that gives him a real chance to keep climbing if the numbers keep moving in the right direction.
Still, the path isn’t wide open. Seattle’s bullpen is close to full, especially on the right-handed side, and the Mariners are reportedly searching for relief help this offseason. Right now, the group looks like this:
- Andres Munoz
- Matt Brash
- Speier
- Ferrer
- Eduard Bazardo
- Carlos Vargas
- Seranthony Dominguez
After that, the Mariners are looking at “possibility guys” such as Michael Rucker, Cole Wilcox, Isaac Mattson and Troy Taylor.
There’s a clear need for at least one more arm to round out the bullpen’s eighth spot, and if Seattle were to move on from someone like Bazardo, another addition would likely be necessary. Smith could enter that conversation, but only if injuries open the door.
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