NOTEBOOK: Kevin Smith continues to step up to challenges

Heading into the 2021 season, Kevin Smith knew he would face challenges, as he had never played at the Triple-A level before. The young prospect was never one to fear a challenge though.

Smith, who spent three seasons as the starting shortstop at the University of Maryland, was a standout at the college level, batting .268 and hitting 13 home runs through 54 games his final year.

However, committing to the University of Maryland didn’t come without challenges. “I was told my biggest mistake was committing to Maryland as their 4th shortstop, saying I wouldn’t play there, and my career would end,” Smith shared on Twitter in 2017.

This was not the first time in Kevin Smith’s life that he met critics of his game. The young prospect shared more of his personal story on social media stating, “In 7th grade, I had a teammate tell me every day to stop playing baseball. I was too small, not fast enough and he didn’t understand why I played.”

So, when Smith, who hadn’t played professional baseball since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pause, was optioned to Triple-A ahead of the 2021 season, he did what he had done all his life; step up to the challenge.

Smith has made the most of his opportunities at the Triple-A level, quite literally. The 28th ranked Blue Jays prospect leads the Herd in runs batted in thus far with 16. The young kid who was once “too small” is also now tied for the club lead in homers with five on the season, and is third place in the clubhouse for doubles, with four on the season.

Kevin Smith may have been the only person who envisioned himself playing at this level of baseball, but that does not deter him from living out his dreams. “When you are told no, you have two options: agree with them, or smile and go do it.”

The young slugger will look to continue smiling as he makes the most of his opportunities in baseball.

Kevin Smith isn’t the only player on the Bisons making the most of his opportunity. Christian Colon has found every way to get into the Herds’ lineup, whether it be playing the infield or the outfield.

Colon, who started the season on the bench, is now one of the Bisons’ best batters and his impressive series against the Triple-A East division-leading Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was yet another example of that.

The veteran slugger played three games for the Herd last series, batting 5-for-12, good for a .417 average. Colon also homered and doubled in the series.

Perhaps, the most impressive part of the veteran’s game is his ability to put the ball in play, even when he gets out. Among qualifying batters, Colon has struck out the least amount of times in Triple-A Baseball, with seven strikeouts in 61 at-bats. In fact, the veteran has struck out just two more times than he has homered through the 17 games he has appeared in. Colon is tied with Kevin Smith for the clubhouse lead in home runs with 5.

Kevin Smith and Christian Colon, who are two of the Herds’ best batters, will need to keep their bats hot as the club returns to Trenton to start their homestand against the Syracuse Mets.

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The Bisons (12-10) will look to get back on track against the struggling Mets (8-16) as they look to regain some ground in the division race, which was lost in the last series against the RailRiders.

The season clearly hasn’t started the way the Mets hoped it would, being third last in the Triple-A East with a -43 run differential. The rival club has the highest earned run average in the Triple-A East, with a 6.19 ERA and has also given up the most home runs in the Triple-A East with 39 home runs against in 24 games.

The Mets are better at the plate than they are in the field though, ranking 12th in team batting average, and 9th in total runs in the Triple-A East.

If there is one thing the Mets are particularly good at though, it's their ability to steal bases. The club leads Triple-A baseball with 39 stolen bases, and they’ll likely look to test the Herds’ young catcher, Riley Adams.

The Mets are also selective at the plate, ranking fourth in walks in the Triple-A East with 108. The Herds’ pitchers do not give up many free opportunities though, as they are third last in walks given up, with just 69 on the season.

The Bisons’ pitchers will look to keep their terrific season on track. The Herd ranks 2nd in all of Triple-A baseball in earned runs against with a 2.89 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting just .216 against the club’s pitching.

The series between the two teams starts Tuesday night in Trenton. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.