{{short description|Dutch baseball player (born 1985)}} {{Infobox baseball player | name = Alexander Smit | image = Alexander Smit 2002 (cropped).jpg | caption = Smit in 2002 | position = Pitcher | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1985|10|2}} | birth_place = Geldrop, Netherlands | bats = Left | throws = Left |medaltemplates= {{MedalSport | Men's baseball}} {{MedalCountry | {{NED}} }} {{MedalCompetition|European Baseball Championship}} {{MedalGold| 2003 Netherlands | National team}} }} '''Alexander Roelof Smit''' (born 2 October 1985 in Geldrop) is a Dutch former baseball pitcher who has played with the Netherlands national baseball team in two Summer Olympics and two World Baseball Classic tournaments. He pitched in Minor League Baseball for eight seasons.
Smit began his baseball career pitching for {{Interlanguage link|PSV (baseball club)|lt=PSV|nl|PSV Honk- en Softbalvereniging}} in Eindhoven.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Alexander Smit|url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/nederlandsteam/alexandersmit.html|website=Honkbalsite archief|access-date=2026-01-30|language=nl}}</ref> The Minnesota Twins signed Smit as an international free agent on 14 July 2002 for $800,000, at the time a record for a player in the top Dutch league.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Minnesota Twins 2006 Media Guide|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesota-twins-2006-media-guide-c/page/340/|date=2006|pages=340,341}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Alexander Smit retires from Professional Baseball|url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/alexander-smit-retires-professional-baseball/|date=2010-06-10|access-date=2026-01-30|website=mister-baseball.com|last=Würfel|first=Philipp}}</ref> While originally a starting pitcher, he worked in relief exclusively in 2005, when he was named as an Appalachian League All-Star. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster after the 2006 season, though he struggled with consistency and conditioning.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Alexander Smit Stats & Scouting Report|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/776950-alexander-smit/|work=Baseball America|access-date=2026-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107162701/https://www.baseballamerica.com/players/776950-alexander-smit/|archive-date=2023-11-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds on 12 July 2007. He also dealt with back injuries in 2007 and 2009.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Cincinnati Reds 2010 Media Guide|url=https://archive.org/details/cincinnati-reds-2000-media-guide-cover/page/147/|date=2010|pages=147}}</ref> He pitched in the American minor leagues through 2010, reaching Double-A.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alexander Smit Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News|url=https://www.milb.com/player/alexander-smit-471839|website=MiLB.com|access-date=2026-01-30|language=en}}</ref> That June, he told the Reds that he wanted to return to the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Smit zet punt achter profloopbaan|url=https://www.honkbalsitearchief.nl/nieuws/2010/0906_profloopbaan_smit.html|website=Honkbalsite archief|access-date=2026-01-30|date=9 June 2010|last=van Zon|first=Rogier}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
Smit played for the Netherlands in international tournaments. He won the Roel de Mon Award, given to the best youth pitcher, 2000, 2001, and 2002.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Awards|url=https://www.knbsb.nl/over-ons/onderscheidingen/awards/|access-date=2025-08-15|website=KNBSB|language=nl}}</ref> He also played on the national youth team<ref name=":2" /> before debuting with the national team in 2002.<ref name=":1" /> He was on the Netherlands teams at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he and his team finished in sixth place, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.sport.nl/olympischarchief2006/show.php3?spelen=40&pgr=168|title=Smit at the Dutch Olympic Archive|accessdate=2009-04-16|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070812034648/http://www2.sport.nl/olympischarchief2006/show.php3?spelen=40&pgr=168|archivedate=August 12, 2007|website=sport.nl|language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Alex Smit|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/108436|website=Olympedia|access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> He did not fare well in the Olympics, allowing 8 runs off three home runs in 7 innings in 2004,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Results 2004 page 91 |url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/55882/rec/4 |access-date=2026-02-27 |website= |language=en |via=LA84 Foundation}}</ref> then going 0–2 with 10 runs allowed in {{Fraction|10|2|3}} innings in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Results 2008 page 91 |url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/64368/rec/4 |access-date=2026-02-27 |website=digital.la84.org |language=en}}</ref>
Smit also pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/index.jsp?team=ned|title=Netherlands|accessdate=2009-03-31|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120721195628/http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/index.jsp?team=ned|archivedate=21 July 2012|url-status=dead|website=World Baseball Classic}}</ref> and 2002 Intercontinental Cup.<ref name=":2" /> In the 2006 WBC, he allowed one run in one inning pitched.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WBC Stats {{!}} WBC Team Stats {{!}} 2006|url=https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/stats/pitching/kingdom-of-the-netherlands/2006|website=MLB.com|access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> In 2009, he pitched {{Fraction|3|1|3}} scoreless innings, allowing five batters to reach base.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WBC Stats {{!}} WBC Team Stats {{!}} 2009|url=https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/stats/pitching/kingdom-of-the-netherlands/innings-pitched/2009|website=MLB.com|access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> Smit also won the 2003 European Baseball Championship with the Netherlands.<ref name=":1" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br= |fangraphs= |brm=smit--001ale}}
{{Netherlands 2006 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Netherlands 2009 World Baseball Classic roster}} {{Netherlands baseball roster 2008 Summer Olympics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smit, Alex}} Category:1985 births Category:2005 Baseball World Cup players Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players Category:Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Baseball players from North Brabant Category:Beloit Snappers players Category:Carolina Mudcats players Category:Dayton Dragons players Category:Dutch expatriate baseball players in the United States Category:Elizabethton Twins players Category:Fort Myers Miracle players Category:Gulf Coast Reds players Category:Gulf Coast Twins players Category:Living people Category:Olympic baseball players for the Netherlands Category:Sportspeople from Geldrop Category:Sarasota Reds players Category:World Baseball Classic players of the Netherlands