Shortstop Kevin Smith is having one of the most complete offensive seasons in the Bisons' modern era, but, unless you were playing close attention on the Internet, nobody in Buffalo had seen any of it until this week.
That changed Tuesday night, when the 25-year-old drove in the Herd's first run downtown in nearly two years with a first-inning triple the opposite way to right-center. It got things going in an 11-0 victory over Rochester and was the kind of sweet swing the club has seen night after night this season.
The Bisons are a summer staple of Buffalo. And they had not been here in 711 days, since Aug. 29, 2019.
"It was great to see (Forrest) Wall get on his first 'AB' and get over in scoring position to make it easy on us," Smith said prior to Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the Red Wings in Sahlen Field. "Lots of guys had big nights, so it was cool to get the offense going. The fans were behind us and we could feel it. It was exciting to have a hometown feel again and a lot of Blue Jays fans here.
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"A lot guys kind of get tired, and it's dog days for players. So to come here and get the excitement, that was a really good adrenaline game and guys felt like it was Opening Day.Â
Smith entered Wednesday's play batting .286 and sitting as the Bisons' team leader in hits (82), runs (50), home runs (18) and RBIs (56). He batted .418 during a 17-game hitting streak in July and had a 21-game on-base streak from May 12 to June 8.
Five Herd pitchers combined on a two-hitter and Logan Warmoth's three-run homer was the big blow as Buffalo rolled the Rochester Red Wings 11-0 in their first home game since 2019.
Smith was tied for second in Triple-A in doubles (21), tied for fifth in home runs (three off the lead) and hits, and tied for fourth in RBIs. He was third in slugging (.575) and fourth in OPS (.950). He's easily the Herd's MVP and is still in range of league honors, which only Jhonny Peralta (2004) and Matt Hague (2015) have earned in the Herd's modern era.
A fourth-round pick in 2017 out of the University of Maryland, Smith hit .302 at two levels of Class A in the Jays' chain in 2018, but batted just .209 in 2019 at Double-A New Hampshire. He had 19 homers and 61 RBIs – but also struck out 151 times.
Smith didn't play last year in any games, instead spending his time at Toronto's Alternate Training Site in Rochester. It allowed him to work on his game without the worries of the scoreboard and statistics, and his first year in Triple-A has been a huge success.
"He's made adjustments that he stuck with in his approach at the plate," manager Casey Candaele said. "He gets out of it and he gets back into it real quick. And maybe a couple of years ago, if you were to ask him, he didn't get back into it as quickly. He's more confident with what he's doing. If there's a game or two that goes bad, there's not a whole revamp of what he's doing."
Smith concurred.
For the last 17 months, things have been completely haywire. The Herd was not home. That changes Tuesday night.
"You just really trust that whether you have a bad game or two or a bad week, it's about staying with your drills and staying with your fields (to hit the ball to)," he said. "I think that it kind of leaves some more consistency than going into it and just trying to fix things day in and day out and tweak this and that."
Smith isn't on Toronto's 40-man major-league roster, but he's hardly forgotten. General manager Ross Atkins has mentioned him this year on a pair of video calls with reporters.
"I think Kevin Smith's plate discipline and using the whole field, everything that we're seeing in his approach, is exceptionally encouraging," Atkins said last month. "He's a very versatile player, as well, who could be an incredible compliment for us."Â
As Atkins noted, Smith has cut way down on the strikeouts this year (79), and has also piled up a career-high 40 walks.
"It's exciting. That's where you want to be," said Smith, who was fully aware of Atkins' comments. "Our team's great up there. They're having a lot of fun. And it's obviously fun when when you watch highlights, and you see them making a push for the playoffs. So I think everyone here wants to be there and help the team out. But right now we're trying to win as many games as Bisons and do your part here day in and day out."
The biggest issue for Smith in the Toronto organization is probably his position. He's a natural shortstop, and there's no room at the inn with Bo Bichette there and Marcus Semien, also a natural shortstop, able to move over from second when needed.Â
The Bisons have moved Smith around the infield and have even given him some chances in left field. Added versatility can only help.
"It's been fun. In 2018, I played a little third and a little second," he said. "And then obviously, at the 'Alt Site', we had so much time that I would work everywhere. And this year out in left field, too. That was a little different, but I'm excited to play wherever I'm needed. I just want to make sure they're comfortable playing me wherever they might need me."
