While countless kids have dreamed of playing professional baseball, very few actually reach that goal. Tyler Smith realized that dream, however, as he was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels after his stellar career at Canisius College. Smith, who first established himself as a standout at Penn-Trafford, has now turned the page on baseball and started the next chapter of his life. He’s under the microscope in this edition of Westmoreland Where Are They Now?

A native of Trafford, Smith played three years of varsity baseball with Penn-Trafford, helping guide the team to the playoffs in each of those seasons.

In 2012, the Warriors went 10-9-1, losing to Upper St. Clair in the opening round of the WPIAL Class Quad-A playoffs. That season, Smith batted over .400 at the plate as a sophomore.

The following year, Penn-Trafford improved to 13-7, falling to Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the first round. Smith turned in a terrific season on the mound, as he was named the WPIAL Class Quad-A Pitcher of the Year, but he suffered an elbow ailment that forced him to miss the postseason game. He also compiled a batting average of .330.

In his senior campaign, Smith ascended to become one of the best players in the district. Offensively, he hit .493 with five home runs and 35 RBIs. On the mound, Smith achieved a mark of 6-3, with an ERA of 1.51 and 78 strikeouts. However, the Warriors once again fell in the first round of the playoffs, this time to Mount Lebanon, and finished with a mark of 15-5.

That final playoff loss stung a bit more for Smith, as he was on the hill in the 4-0 setback against the Blue Devils.

“I still look back at that and it’s like if I was on, maybe we move on a round,” he revealed. “Especially when it comes to high school playoffs, a lot of it comes down to who’s hot at the right time, and I just think that we weren’t the team.”

Smith joined Canisius College for the 2015 campaign, as both a pitcher and a first baseman. In 20 pitching appearances, all in relief, Smith worked 36.1 innings, registering a 1-0 record and an ERA of 3.22. Perhaps most impressive, he struck out 49 hitters and allowed a batting average of just .197. At the plate, Smith hit .091 with four RBIs.

That marked the extent of Smith’s opportunities as a batter in college, as he fully shifted to pitcher after his freshman campaign.

“I always loved hitting and always wanted to do it, but once I got to college and saw what a real Division I hitter looked like, I was like maybe pitching is more for me,” Smith joked. “I get to say that I hit and pitched in Division I baseball. It wasn’t for long, but by God, we did it.”

That season, the Golden Griffins compiled a mark of 34-30, including 16-8 in conference play. Canisius won five straight games in the conference tournament to capture the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship (MAAC), including the final two contests against Siena. As a result, the Golden Griffins qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, but were eliminated with losses to Missouri State and Oregon in the Springfield Regional.

In his sophomore year, Smith filled a similar role, making 22 appearances out of the bullpen. Although his ERA rose to 4.63, he compiled a record of 6-3 with one save. Canisius went 32-27, including another 16-8 mark in MAAC play. The conference postseason yielded a different result, though, as the Golden Griffins went 2-2 and were eliminated by Siena.

Prior to the 2017 season, Smith reached a turning point in his career, as he had a contentious meeting with his head coach, Mike McRae.

“Going into the junior year season, we kind of butted heads a little bit. It was all because he was trying to push me and get into a part of myself that I didn’t really know at that point that I had,” Smith revealed. “Being an athlete, I took offense to it. But he was right.”

After returning from holiday break, Smith proved his physical fitness to McRae, and earned the trust of the coaching staff, which allowed him to become the closer. Although he worked primarily as a starting pitcher at PT, Smith noted that his transition to the bullpen in college was relatively seamless.

“Honestly, it wasn’t a huge adjustment,” he stated. “I was never a true starter. I didn’t have the stamina for it, and I threw with way too much effort on every pitch.”

The result was a dominant 2017 season, as Smith went 3-0 and 11 saves and a microscopic ERA of 0.30. Additionally, he compiled 43 strikeouts in 29.2 innings of work. Canisius posted a record of 35-22, including 16-8 in the MAAC. The Golden Griffins won their first conference game against Rider, but then fell to Marist and Iona to conclude the campaign.

Baseball continued for a few more months for Smith, however, as he played with the Valley Blue Sox in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The decision to spend most of his summer in Massachusetts paid dividends, as Smith went 3-2 with a pair of saves and an ERA of 1.82 in 24.2 innings.

“Going to a very prestigious college summer ball league I think is immensely important to guys if they want to advance,” he explained. “Especially for guys from mid-major schools, that’s your opportunity to shine in front of not only scouts, but to prove yourself against guys from power five schools.”

Back at Canisius for his senior season in 2018, Smith continued to overwhelm the competition, as he went 2-3 with 10 saves and an ERA of 0.98. In 36.2 frames, he racked up 43 strikeouts and was subsequently recognized as the MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year. Canisius enjoyed another strong season, achieving a record of 35-22, including 16-8 in the conference. In the MAAC Tournament, Canisius went 4-0, defeating Niagara, Quinnipiac, and Monmouth twice to claim the title. As a result, the Golden Griffins advanced to the NCAA Minneapolis Regional, but lost to Minnesota and Gonzaga to end the season.

In summer ball, Smith had an offer to compete in the prestigious Cape Cod League, but decided to return to the NECBL. In 19.1 innings, he went 1-0 with eight saves and did not allow a run, further solidifying himself as a legitimate MLB Draft prospect.

Despite his performance, however, Smith anticipated that he would be a Day Three selection, possibly between rounds 15-25.

“I was trying to keep the expectations fairly low, because the only team I was talking to was the Athletics,” Smith noted.

To his surprise, he was selected much earlier.

“Out of the blue, I got a phone call on Day Two from the Angels. I hadn’t heard from them in months,” he detailed. “I’ll never forget he said “Do you want to be a Halo?

“It was surreal,” he continued of his eighth-round selection. “I had all of my immediate family up in Buffalo with me. I had five or 10 of my really good buddies from college up there.”

After signing his professional contract, Smith commenced his Minor League career in Utah with the Orem Owls of the Pioneer League. In 17 games, he went 2-1 with one save and an ERA of 3.95 in 27.1 innings.

In 2019, Smith progressed through the system, starting the year with the Burlington Bees, an Iowa-based club in the Midwest League in Class A. With Burlington, Smith compiled a mark of 5-3 with six saves and a 5.05 ERA in 35.2 innings.

Later that season, he was promoted to Inland Empire in the California League, a Class A-Advanced affiliate. Smith, whose initial goal was to break camp with Inland Empire, posted a 2-2 record with one save and an ERA of 3.60 in 25 innings.

While playing professional baseball was a dream fulfilled for Smith, he also experienced the drawbacks. With players earning small salaries, Smith shared a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with eight teammates with Inland Empire.

“Everybody knows a guy who had to retire because he couldn’t financially do it,” Smith noted. “We only got paid April through the first week of September. Everybody’s got something that they do in the offseason, because we can’t afford not to.”

After showing signs of progress in 2019, Smith was one of many players who was sidelined in 2020 as a result of the COVID pandemic. Spring training was initially shut down for a week, but that was continually extended, and the shutdown eventually spanned the entire summer.

“I didn’t play. I didn’t want to play,” he said of the unprecedented year. “Everybody was kind of on the same page of thinking 2020 is a wash. We’re not going to play at all, so let’s give our bodies some much needed R&R.

“It helped my arm immensely, at least in the short term,” intimated Smith, who didn’t throw at all until late June.

When Smith returned to game action in 2021, Minor League Baseball had undergone some drastic changes. That included a realignment of the Angels’ system, as he joined the Tri-City Dust Devils, which was the new Class A-Advanced affiliate. Smith appeared in 24 games with the Dust Devils, going 1-1 with a 5.45 ERA in 33 innings.

In August of that year, though, Smith received an ominous message from his manager to meet in his office, which marked his release.

“I had seen him and our pitching coach and they were both sitting there with a somber look,” he recalled. “I was like “You fellas don’t really need to say a whole lot. I’ve been around long enough. I know what this conversation is about.’”

Although that marked the end of his career in affiliate baseball, Smith shifted to independent baseball, signing with the Winnipeg Goldeyes less than two weeks later. Winnipeg played in the American Association, which Smith considered one of the top two leagues in independent baseball and featured many past MLB players.

In seven games with Winnipeg, Smith did not register a decision, compiling an ERA of 2.16

After the season, Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Milkmen. With his career at a crossroad, though, he made the decision to retire.

“I always said when it became to feel more like work and not like a game, it wasn’t fair to anybody for me to keep playing,” he explained. “I know too many guys that would give anything in the world to still play and aren’t given the opportunity.

“It’s not fair to those guys for me to take up a spot. It’s not fair for me to go out there and do something that I really don’t love anymore. And it’s not fair to the organization I’m playing for to have somebody that is only kind of tip-toeing into the season instead of getting ready full bore,” he continued.

After he walked away from baseball, Smith entirely distanced himself from the sport.

“I’ve only picked up a ball a handful of times since I’ve retired,” he revealed. “It’s hard to step away from being the professional baseball player and to try to look at things from the perspective of being a fan.

“I’m starting to enjoy it a little more every day, but I couldn’t do it for a long, long time,” he added.

Despite that, he still has fond memories of baseball, especially his time at Penn-Trafford.

“The more I look back on it, the more I realize how fun baseball was then,” he said. “There was no pressure to do anything. You were just out there playing with the same guys you played travel ball with since you were 7 years old.

“Once you get into pro ball – it’s obviously still fun, it’s still a blast – but things change,” he continued. “Your perspectives on everything change because you’re not just playing for fun anymore. You’re also playing as a job.”

With baseball in his rear-view mirror, Smith has transitioned to a new career, as he works for Proline Pipeline, based in North Huntingdon. He’s on the plastic side of the company, which runs new mainlines for gas companies.

“This is my first real job,” Smith laughed.

Now residing in Oklahoma Borough, which is located near Apollo, Smith has embraced his opportunity to enjoy nature, and he’s spent ample time riding his quad.

“Basically, from the start of high school all the way through until I retired, I never really had springs or summers to go hunt or fish and do that stuff,” he said. “I really, really took advantage of that the last year.”