NEW YORK -- Yankees left-hander Max Fried and former Major Leaguer Reggie Smith have a close relationship that dates back to when Fried was 5 years old. In fact, after Fried's dad, Jonathan, Smith is the younger Fried¡¯s biggest influence when it comes to learning the game of baseball.
It was Smith who taught Fried how to throw the curveball, his signature pitch. Last year, for example, opposing hitters couldn¡¯t touch Fried¡¯s breaking ball, going 20-for-130 (.154).
¡°The curveball was something that came natural to me,¡± said the 31-year-old Fried. ¡°[Smith] put it in my hand. I had a pretty good feel for it and the ability to spin the ball. Just being able to stay in contact with him, I thank him all the time for everything he helped me with. I know he is just proud.¡±
Yes, it¡¯s the same Reggie Smith who was a productive outfielder with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and Giants during the 1960s, ¡®70s and early '80s. Fried and Smith first met through Jonathan in the late 1990s. At Jonathan¡¯s urging, Max attended Smith¡¯s Baseball Academy in Encino, Calif.
Smith taught the curveball in a way in which Max wouldn¡¯t hurt his arm. According to Fried, Smith was into biomechanics of swings and throwing long before there was data to back it up.
¡°[Smith] ran lessons out of the Little League that I was at,¡± Fried said. ¡°From the time I was 5 years old running around the Little League field, Reggie was there and had a huge impact on my baseball knowledge.
¡°Outside of being a phenomenal hitter, he is one of the smartest baseball minds I¡¯ve ever been around. Throughout his life, he picked the brains of everyone from starting pitchers to catcher to outfielders to everything. He has a really great knowledge of all things baseball.¡±
Smith, 79, learned how to throw the curveball from his older brother who taught him different grips to avoid an arm injury. Smith also learned how to watch the spin of that breaking pitch while taking batting practice against his mentor, Chet Brewer, a former Negro League pitcher who taught young Black players from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles the art of playing the game of baseball.
¡°People say, ¡®Well, you are an outfielder. What do you know about pitching?¡¯ I would tell them, ¡®All I know about pitching was that it was hard to hit,¡¯¡± Smith said. ¡°But I knew how to throw it. I understand throwing mechanics. That¡¯s what I worked with Max on.¡±
Even though Smith taught him his money pitch, Fried received a bigger lesson from his mentor: Baseball is just a game.
¡°At the end of the day, you are playing a game against the other guys. You make adjustments,¡± Fried said.
After eight years with the Braves, Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees this past winter, and Smith expects his pupil to thrive in the Bronx.
¡°Max is going to be Max and he is prepared for it,¡± Smith said. ¡°I know in New York, it can be tough on players who are not mentally prepared. Max is. He is going to be fine. That stage there, he is meant for it. He was built for it with the information that was shared with him. ¡ He has pitched on a big stage. He pitched in a World Series [in 2021]. Those are the expectations that I know of the Yankees. There is no question in my mind, he is prepared for it.¡±
Because of family commitments, Smith will be unable to attend Fried¡¯s regular-season debut as a Yankee against the Brewers on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. They last spoke on Wednesday, with Smith saying he is proud of his pupil.
¡°[With all] the things he has achieved, it makes me feel good that he is a caring person and still calls to check to see how I am doing,¡± Smith said.