Devin Smeltzer said he wasn't much of a gamer until he spent three and a half months without baseball. But while waiting out the shutdown in Florida since mid-March, the Twins lefthander found art imitating life.
He was able to play video games as … himself.
"I got a PlayStation, and I was playing 'The Show' a lot," Smeltzer said Wednesday from Target Field. "I think I'm a little bit better in the game than in real life. Watching 94s [mph] pop up on the board ... haven't ever seen that before."
After pitching in 11 games, including six starts, for the Twins last season, Smeltzer had an outside shot during the spring at a rotation spot, especially since Rich Hill was recovering from surgery and Michael Pineda had 36 games remaining in his suspension. Although he now appears to be behind Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Homer Bailey, Kenta Maeda and Hill, Smeltzer said Wednesday he's "always attacking and going for a role. I want to be part of this."
Smeltzer, 24, is a cancer survivor after having surgery and chemo when he was 9 years old for a tumor near his abdomen. He consulted with an oncologist about concerns should he contact COVID-19.
"He said my health, I'm not at high risk. I'm in great shape, lungs are good, everything is good," Smeltzer said.
Working on his slider was a top priority during the layoff, and he said away from the competition, he felt a lot of improvement.
"Honestly it makes things a lot easier when you're not facing big-league hitters because it's not result-driven," he said. "I can sit down with the Rapsodo numbers, with the Trackman numbers, and really break down video on what I'd have to do to make that pitch better.