Baseball Yankees Prospect Report: Second Baseman Josh Smith Josh Smith begins his journey in the big leagues with the New York Yankees organization. by Eli Fishman January 4, 2020 Richmond County Bank Ballpark, Staten Island, New York Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports With the New York Yankees second-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, they took LSU second baseman Josh Smith. Smith, a junior, had a career year as he led the Tigers to an NCAA Super Regional appearance while hitting .350 with 41 RBI’s during the regular season. He went to Florida for a week to work out at the New York Yankees minor league facility in Tampa, before being assigned to the Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees. He headed up to New York in late July and immediately made in impact in Staten Island’s lineup. Over his first two weeks, he hit .406 with two home runs. “I think the SEC (South Eastern Conference) did a pretty good job of preparing (me) for that,” Smith told me in an interview before a game in August. “I’m just happy to live out my dream playing pro baseball with the Yankees… It’s pretty cool to be able to put those pinstripes on even though I’m in short-season right now. It just kind of gives you that hope to one day put on the big league pinstripes, but what comes with that is a lot of work, and I look forward to it.” Smith finished 2019 with a stellar .324 batting average over 33 games. His season showcased all five tools, and he showed extreme patience at the plate, walking 25 times and only striking out 17 times. His bat could be a valuable tool in an MLB lineup, and he has the potential to be a four or five-tool player in the big leagues. I would expect to see Smith start 2020 with Charleston (A), but don’t be surprised if he is promoted quickly, due to his SEC experience and age of 22. Post Views: 1,595 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Eli Fishman Eli Fishman is a 16-year old college and minor league baseball writer for Double G Sports. He writes about MLB and MLB Draft prospects. Eli has experience broadcasting college baseball and has his own website and YouTube channel where he interviews professional baseball players. Latest posts by Eli Fishman (see all) Yankees Legends, Somerset Patriots Announce New Double-A Affiliation - November 11, 2020 A Recap of Thursday’s Mets Protest, PR Mess - August 29, 2020 MLBN Adds Buck Showalter as Analyst - August 26, 2020 Mike Trout Rookie Card Sells For Record-Breaking $3.9 Million - August 24, 2020 Related TopicsJosh SmithJosh Smith YankeesLSUMLB ProspectMLB ProspectsNew York Yankeesstaten island yankees Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Passion For Sports Led Kelly Burke To Career As Broadcaster by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on November 16, 2020 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 CBI to Utilize Experimental Men’s Basketball Rules Including Use of Quarters by Media Release | posted on March 9, 2017 Tim Capstraw reflects back on path to becoming Brooklyn Nets radio color analyst by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 20, 2020 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... World Series legend Don Larsen passes away at 90 Yankees Prospect Report: Left-Handed Pitcher TJ Sikkema