Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers
Smith is the final member of the 2016 draft class that I will highlight, but he may be the one that intrigues me the most in this “six-pack”.
Coming into the 2016 draft, Smith had a reputation as an excellent defender, and I will admit that I saw him as a defense-first third-round type of catcher, so when the Dodgers nabbed him in the first round, I was caught surprised, to say the least.
Instead, Smith showed enough after I reviewed his tape on the season that I had him 9th overall in the Dodgers top 10 ranking, and he could be a guy that moves quickly this season, depending on the Dodgers’ plans for him.
Smith had a tremendous defensive reputation coming from college, and he certainly had worked with excellent arms at Louisville, including multiple arms that went in the first few rounds of the draft in the last couple seasons.
What impressed most was his bat. Smith may never be a guy to hit 30 home runs, but I would compare his approach behind the plate to that of someone like Jason Kendall with excellent athleticism behind the plate and a fair share of speed on the bases.
Smith also flashed a very solid eye and contact tool that did cool some as his college plus pro season took a toll on him toward the end of the year, with his final slash line ending up at .246/.355/.329, but that .109 OBP delta is very impressive.
I’m not sure that the Dodgers will be moving Yasmani Grandal any time soon, but Smith could quickly establish himself as one of the top catching prospects in the game with just a little more from his stick as he already is earning a reputation as one of the elite defenders behind the plate in the minors.
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