One look at Cyclones shortstop Matt Smith’s uniform after a game and it’s obvious he’s not your typical ballplayer.

In nine games with Brooklyn this season, Smith hasn’t finished a game with a clean uniform yet.

Tough, energetic and charismatic, Smith has taken over the starting shortstop role after injuries to Reese Havens and Matt Bouchard and filled in admirably, with seven hits, eight walks and an amazing .432 On-Base Percentage in his first nine games with the team.

However, after Spring Training, the gritty 25-year-old found himself without a job. Originally released by the Rangers, Smith was quickly snatched up by the Mets.

Ready to prove himself all over again in a new organization, Smith knows what he has to do on the field to get noticed.

“My role is to see a lot of pitches and to get on base,” said Smith, who idolized Craig Biggio as a kid and models his game after him. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a hit, error, walk or a hit by pitch.”

Finding himself in the nine hole or lead-off spot for most of his time in Brooklyn thus far, Smith has opened up the eyes of the coaching staff at the plate in his short time with the team.

“He takes a lot of pitches,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “He does a lot of little things and gets under the pitcher’s skin. By the third inning, pitchers are tired and our hitters have seen most of their pitches because of his patience.”

Playing with the likes of David Wright, B.J. Upton and other major leaguers during his teenage years, Smith has a wealth of experience and has already shown the signs of being a leader.

“I was blessed to be around some great talent my entire life,” Smith said. “I’ve played with the best and I have the utmost amount of respect for those guys and I’ve learned a lot from them. They never treat me like they’re better than me or anyone else they meet. With that being said, I have no problem helping some of the younger guys out because I know everyone needs help at one point or another.”

Despite his ability to teach his teammates the finer points of the game, Smith isn’t wasting time this season and is ready to make the most of his time with the Mets Single-A affiliate.

“I pride myself in being a gritty player,” he said. “And I never take anything for granted. I was released once and I promised myself to play as hard as I can, for as long as I can. I told myself that by the end of my career, I could look in the mirror and be proud of myself because I did everything I could. I try and take that mentality into every game I play.”

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Box score to last night’s 4-1 Cyclones Loss.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.