ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- His transition wasn't supposed to look this easy. When Drew Smyly came to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-way deal on July 31, the young left-hander was supposed to be a footnote when a blockbuster transaction was remembered.
After all, he was part of the David Price trade. It wasn't the Smyly trade. It wasn't the Nick Franklin trade. It wasn't the Austin Jackson trade. It wasn't the Willy Adames trade. There was no mistake about the move's largest jewel.
Smyly, from the Rays' perspective, figured to be a wait-and-see addition from the Detroit Tigers. They liked that he had four more years under team control. He was projected to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter, and before this year, he had never pitched more than the 99 1/3 innings he threw in 2012 as a rookie.
Well, it's time to view Smyly in a different light. Yes, the 25-year-old is too unproven to consider him anywhere near Price's equal. But the Rays should be pleased with what Smyly has shown, and his early glimpses reveal hope for the future.
If not for reliever Steve Geltz allowing a two-out, game-tying single to Yoenis Cespedes in the top of the eighth inning Monday at Tropicana Field, Smyly would have won his fourth consecutive decision since Aug. 11. Instead, Smyly settled for a no-decision with seven strikeouts in the Rays' 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox in 10 innings.
Early expectations were a curiosity. Early expectations have been met.
"I don't know," Smyly said, when asked about what he expected from himself after joining the Rays. "Just pitch, play good. There were really no expectations, I don't know. But I'm just throwing a lot of strikes and getting ahead and locating my pitches better. That's honestly what it is, just executing. You have a good game, and you have a bad game. It's just consistency. You try to be as consistent as possible."
Consistency has become a buzzword when discussing Smyly. He has allowed three runs or fewer in all six of his Rays starts, which ties the club record to begin a Tampa Bay career with right-hander Chad Gaudin in 2003-2004 and right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in 2010-2011. Smyly lost his Rays debut against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 5, but he's 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 36 1/3 innings since then. He finished August with a 3-1 record and a strong 1.50 ERA.
His present is promising, but it's simple to recall the past when watching Smyly. The visual of him on the mound welcomes so many thoughts of former Tampa Bay rotation stalwarts. He wears James Shields' old No. 33. Each of his starts is a reminder that Price belongs in a different uniform elsewhere.
Smyly must avoid chasing ghosts. He'll never be Price or Shields, and he should never be measured by that standard. The Rays and Smyly will succeed together if they create some sort of post-Price legacy that's uniquely their own. The discovery will become obvious once it's made.
Still, Smyly has showed admirable mental strength in making his transition to Tampa Bay as seamless as possible. He has grown from an unknown with four offerings (fastball, curveball, cutter and change-up) to an intrigue faster than expected. That's a credit to him and others who have welcomed him to his new environment.
"Whenever you come over to a new team, a new organization, you want to let everyone know what you're all about," said catcher Ryan Hanigan, also in his first season with the Rays. "So maybe (there's) a little extra will or want-to or something. But at the end of the day, he's a four-pitch guy who can do different things."
Meetings between Smyly and Hanigan have helped the young left-hander grasp his fuller profile as a pitcher. In early discussions between the two, Hanigan understood Smyly's fastball at the top of the strike zone and a backdoor cutter to right-handed batters remained unrefined weapons.
"Those were two things he hadn't really done all that much," Hanigan said.
Hanigan, since those initial talks, has seen Smyly produce more misses and ground balls from those pitches. The progress is revealing of Smyly's ability to adapt and evolve.
"He has been unbelievable," Rays reliever Grant Balfour said. "You can't ask for much more than what's he's doing. He has been lights out. He has given us a chance to win every time he has gone out there, and that's all you can ask from a starter -- to keep you in the game and to do what he's doing. I see a guy who knows what he's doing out there. He executes his pitches. He's got command. He's in control."
The Rays should be excited if Smyly remains in control. Manager Joe Maddon said Smyly could be shut down in September with the pitcher already at 147 innings thrown, but the current plan involves Smyly making at least one more start. Smyly's momentum will create a fascination next spring, when he'll be expected to build on gains made.
But that's a discussion for another time. Smyly was far from the Price trade's largest jewel, but he could become its diamond in the rough.
"It's probably the highest workload he has had as a starter," Maddon said, "and he's doing it here."
The Rays' future is enhanced because of it.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
