Minor leagues
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Smith in the fourth round,with the 129th overall selection,of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. [7] He signed for a $405,100 signing bonus,and was assigned to the Bluefield Blue Jays. [8] In 61 games for Bluefield,Smith hit .271 with eight home runs,43 RBI,and nine stolen bases. [9] In 2018,he played for both the Single–A Lansing Lugnuts and the High–A Dunedin Blue Jays,slashing a combined .302/.358/.528 with 25 home runs,93 RBI,and 29 stolen bases in 129 games. [10]
Smith played the 2019 season entirely with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats,hitting .209 with 19 home runs,61 RBI,and 11 stolen bases. Following the season he played in 18 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. [9] He did not play in a game in 2020,due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] In 2021,Smith was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons,where he hit .286 with a team-leading 19 home runs and 63 RBI prior to being called up. [12] He earned the 2021 Stan Barron Most Valuable Player Award,an award for Bisons team MVP,as voted on by his teammates. [13]
