Kevan Smith

Position: C
Born: 6/28/1988
Ht: 6’4″ Wt: 230 lb B-T: R-R
Acquired: Drafted 7th round in the 2011 draft out of Pitt
Career Stats

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

  • #24 – 2011 Midseason
  • #22 – 2012 Preseason
  • #24 – 2012 Midseason
  • #25 – 2013 Preseason
  • #18 – 2014 Midseason
  • #21 – 2015 Preseason
  • #27 – 2015 Midseason

FutureSox Media

Accolades

  • South Atlantic League All-Star, 2012 Midseason
  • Southern League All-Star, 2014 Midseason

Scouting Report

This two-way Pitt product was a quarterback on the football team for three years and got a few starts as a redshirt freshman in 2007. Smith turned his focus to baseball and joins the long list of notable White Sox draft picks with a football background. He turned 23 less than a month after he got drafted so his dominant rookie ball numbers at Bristol and Great Falls needed context. He held his own for both A ball teams in 2012 (combined .281/.338/.434), but repeated with Winston-Salem in 2013 and did very well statistically (.286/.370/.464, 12 HR).

In 2014 he made the jump to Double-A and again hit well (.290/.376/.437) while a couple years older than league average. He made the final minor league jump to Triple-A in 2015, but he didn’t get comfortable at the plate until late in the season. He finished with a respectable .260 AVG and .330 OBP, but the power disappeared (6 HR). In 2016, at age 27, Smith performed well enough in April to earn his first major league call-up in late May. He hurt his back during warm-ups prior to his first major league game and hit the disabled list. He finished rehab, spent more time in Charlotte hitting just fine, and got another cup of coffee in September, going 2-for-16 in 7 games.

With the White Sox (through 2018), Dodgers and Rays, Smith has established himself as an MLB backup catcher.

Scouting reports have said positive things on his hitting (though with some fixable timing flaws). Defensively he hasn’t always showed well with blocking and glove work. He does have a strong arm for the position, and his athleticism hints at a higher defensive ceiling. He’s got good power, and made good contact throughout the minors, though that power hasn’t fully developed. He’s got a bit of a hitch in his swing that means he’s not real quick to the ball, but he puts bat to ball effectively anyway. Defensively he made improvements in 2015 and 2016, and reports on his handling of pitchers are strongly positive.