Kevan Smith

Position: C
Born: 6/28/1988
Height: 6'4
Weight: 230
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (CHW).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .219 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games at Charlotte (Triple-A).

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Charlotte on September 1.
MLB Debut Date: 9/1/2016

Debut Details
September 1, in an 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Coming on in the bottom of the eighth defensively to replace starting catcher Alex Avila, he went 0-for-1 at the plate, hitting a one-out line drive to center field. Behind the plate in the eighth, and with Juan Minaya making his major league debut on the mound, Smith started a 2-4 double play. With one out and batter Jorge Polanco at first, he caught the third strike when Kurt Suzuki whiffed, and then threw Polanco out trying to steal second to end the inning.

Player Notes
This marks Smith’s second trip to the big leagues this season but it took until now for his journey to culminate in his actual debut. Called up back on April 24 when Alex Avila went on the DL, Smith had been penciled into the starting lineup for the Sox that night but during pre-game stretches, suffered such severe back spasms due to sacroiliac joint dysfunction that he had to go on the DL. Once activated, he was sent back to Charlotte where he reinjured his back just days later and, when all was said and done, he spent the majority of 2016 on the disabled list. This is one hell of a “welcome back” celebration! He spent the 2015 season at Charlotte, hitting .260 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 97 games, and was batting .345 with two homers and six RBIs in eight games to start 2016 before his first call-up. The lower numbers no doubt reflect playing through the pain. His history shows consistently solid numbers across the board, including a .290 average with 10 homers and 48 RBIs at Birmingham (Double-A) in 2014 and a .286 average with 12 homers and 73 RBIs in 101 games at Winston-Salem (High A) in 2013. A football star at Pittsburgh—he was their starting quarterback in 2007 – he quit football after 2008 to focus on baseball, hitting .375 in that time and earning All-Big East honors twice before being drafted.