In the vacuum left by with withdrawal of baseball (and all other US sports), I looked to Fangraphs to give me an direction today for an interesting topic. Prospects always intrigue me and Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen digs deep into the prospect pool to include Canaan Smith in his article “Picks to Click: Who I Expect to Make the 2021 Top 100.”
Smith, a Dallas, Texas native, was drafted out of high school in the 2017 June Amateur Draft in the 4th round; he was drafted 122 overall. He’s a left-fielder with speed in the field and on the bases despite his 6’0 215 lbs frame. Longenhagen compares him to Kirby Puckett in body type, saying:
He’s a tank, the absolute unit, a lefty- hitting thumper with the most fully actualized combination of game power and approach on this entire list.
In full season ball at Charleston in ’19, he raked. In 124 games, he hit .307 with an .815 OPS, 11 home runs and 74 RBIs.
Expect Smith to begin the season at Charleston and to get the promotion to AA Trenton if he continues to profile the “big raw power” that has impressed scouts so far. Expect to see Smith also moving up the prospects’ lists in 2021.
