Smoltz came to the Braves organization from the Detroit Tigers farm system shortly before he came to the majors in 1988, and has spent his entire major league career with the Braves. He is a power pitcher who relies on a mid-90's fastball, a sharp slider, and a nasty split-finger fastball. Smoltz has consistently been successful as a strikeout pitcher.

Smoltz injured his elbow during the 1999 season and developed a knuckleball in order to pitch through the pain. After the season, he had Tommy John surgery to replace his ulnar colllateral ligament, which had been torn completely. He spent the 2000 season recovering and undergoing rehabilitation, and was converted to a closer for the 2001 season. It is unclear whether Smoltz will return to starting or remain in the bullpen in the future.

Smoltz won the NL Cy Young Award in 1996 on the strength of an exceptional 24-8 record and 276 strikeouts, both exceeding his normal numbers by a considerable margin. He has appeared in four All-Star games and led the NL in strikeouts twice. Despite being a better pitcher than Tom Glavine, he is less likely to receive Hall of Fame consideration, because his win-loss record is not as good.