Blue Jays: There’s a ton of MiLB infield talent beyond Vlad and Bo

Kevin Smith– SS/3B

.302/.358/.528, 31 doubles, 25 home runs, 29 stolen bases

One of the more underrated players in the Blue Jays’ system in terms of hype, Kevin Smith has a chance to be a real big league star at some point, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it wasn’t too many years from now. The 22 year old destroyed the Low-A level with the Lansing Lugnuts in 46 games, batting .355/.407/.639, and was quickly promoted to the next level at Dunedin where he continued to impress.

The 22 year old made 86 starts at shortstop last season and 23 at third base, and he might have to be creative with his defensive skillset in order to fit in Toronto once he arrives. A lot will depend on the development of others like Gurriel Jr., Bichette, and Guerrero Jr,., who could cover second base, shortstop, and third base respectively. However, there’s no guarantee that any of them stick at their respective positions, or that they couldn’t be knocked out by Smith at some point down the line. From the look of things, he’s definitely going to push them to earn their job, but he does strike me as the type of talent you make room for somehow.

My assumption is that he’ll start the 2019 season in New Hampshire at the Double-A level, and if he continues to impress it’s possible that we could see him in the big leagues by 2020, or maybe even sooner.