FSL notes: Jays' Smith 'elevating' his game
Kevin Smith is a student of the game."It really started when I got to college, and I knew I wanted to be a professional," Smith said. "So, like anyone in a profession, you want to know the most about what you're about to experience and what you're doing, and that
Kevin Smith is a student of the game.
"It really started when I got to college, and I knew I wanted to be a professional," Smith said. "So, like anyone in a profession, you want to know the most about what you're about to experience and what you're doing, and that will help you throughout your career."
Thus, Smith went to work consuming books, video and theories on hitting. He analyzed approaches. He sifted through the lessons of others in the game.
"I really like to invest my time in studying guys and studying theories of hitting, and what different guys are teaching, and then kind of take in the bits and pieces here and there and translate it into my own swing," Smith said. "It's almost just trying to weed through all the information that's out there, and just trying to find something that works for you."

Now ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system, Smith understands the need for players to have access to the best information available. With this in mind, he created a brand -- Elevate Baseball -- which aims to make drills and tips available to players through social media.
The account, which launched on Twitter in 2014 and was reinvented last offseason, currently focuses on defensive work.
"There's a lot of hitting stuff and pitching stuff on social media, but you really don't have a whole lot of defensive stuff," Smith said.
"A lot of guys back home, younger guys I've talked to, want to know more about what kind of defensive drills they can do, what to do to get ready for games defensively. I felt like it'd be a good outlet to get information out there and get some talk going over social media. It should be fun to see what it develops into."
Smith is often lauded for his own defensive prowess. In 106 career games as a shortstop, Smith has a .957 fielding percentage, and this season he's branched out and spent time at second and third base.
A fourth-round pick out of the University of Maryland in 2017, Smith has also gotten it done with the bat. He tore up the Midwest League in the first half, batting .355 with seven homers in 46 games before earning a promotion to the Dunedin Blue Jays on May 28. He's contunued his breakout campaign in the FSL, hitting .311 with six homers over 28 games for Dunedin and picking up Player of the Week honors yesterday for his efforts.
While Smith spends his offseason pouring over data, he stays away from too much analysis during the summer.
"I've talked to my hitting coach, and I think I got over-analytical a little bit, where I'd study everything and try to be perfect instead of just trying to go up there and compete with the swing I have," Smith said.
"I'm trusting the stuff that I worked on in the offseason, and I like where my swing is at, so just trying to stay as consistent with it as I can and keep my routines the same."
With Elevate, Smith hopes to expand the account in the future to encompass all aspects of the game -- hitting, pitching, and defense. "Kind of make it a one-stop shop, so guys aren't searching for information or doing stuff wrong out of season that they think is helping, when it's really not," Smith said.
He believes in the importance of the process, and hopes that young players who happen upon the account will gain an understanding of the countless hours of preparation behind every successful athlete.
"You've got to really love it, and you've got to put the time in," Smith said.
"I see a lot of young kids that just think if they do one drill or two drills, they're going to become the next Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, and it really doest work that way. So, we're trying to shed as much light on the failures and all the hours in the gym and all the swings that guys take -- it doesn't just show up at game time, you have to put the work in."
In brief
Strong armed: After posting a league-best 3.20 ERA in the month of June, the Lakeland Flying Tigers are off to an 8-1 start in the second half. In those nine games, Lakeland has surrendered only 18 runs. Alfred Gutierrez limited opponents to a .170 average and posted a 2.10 ERA in six starts in the month of June, while Spenser Watkins put up a 2.08 ERA in four starts.
Arraez on the rise: Twins No. 21 prospect Luis Arraez has caught fire, raising his average from .202 on June 1 to .320 at the start of July. In 26 games in the month of June, the 21-year-old hit .449 with nine doubles, three triples and a home run, while driving in 13 runs. Arraez matched a career high with five hits on June 22, and finished the month of June with 16 multi-hit games.
All is Wells: Fort Myers Miracle starter Tyler Wells permitted only five runs across four starts in the month of June for a 1.63 ERA, while limiting opponents to a .168 average. At the start of July, Wells ranked second in the FSL in ERA (2.54), first in WHIP (0.93) and first in opponent average (.194).
Kirsten Karbach is a contributor to MiLB.com.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between