Kevan Smith

Kevan Smith

36-Year-Old CatcherC
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Kevan Smith in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year contract with the Rays in December of 2020. Traded to Atlanta in May of 2021. Elected free agency in August of 2021.
Designated for assignment
CAtlanta Braves  
August 11, 2021
Smith was designated for assignment by Atlanta on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
The 33-year-old had sporadic playing time recently, and he'll be cast off the 40-man roster after Travis d'Arnaud (thumb) was reinstated from the 60-day IL on Wednesday. Smith has appeared in 33 games with Tampa Bay and Atlanta this season, and he's hit .168 with three doubles, eight runs and three RBI.
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kevan Smith See More
The Z Files: My Top 350 Rest-of-Season Hitters
August 11, 2021
Todd Zola offers up his hitter rankings for the rest of the season, as scheduling and a stacked lineup makes Bo Bichette one of a trio of Blue Jays in the top 10.
Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers
August 3, 2021
Jesse Siegel sorts out the massive recent move of prospects while analyzing a few phenoms.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
July 11, 2021
Jan Levine expects a certain Miami infielder to excel after he returns later this month.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
July 4, 2021
With Evan Longoria set to be back later this month, Jan Levine figures he'll be a popular add.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
2016
The veteran catcher appeared in 17 games for the Rays last season, posting a career-high .378 OBP and .452 SLG in that limited sample. Smith has never carried a good defensive reputation, a liability borne out by most metrics, but his bat has earned him playing time in each of the last five big-league seasons, albeit for three different organizations. Tampa Bay cut him loose from the 40-man roster this offseason but then brought him back on a minor-league deal, but that doesn't guarantee him a spot with the Rays. Francisco Mejia, a catcher with a similar bat-first profile who is six years younger and a switch hitter, came over from San Diego in the Blake Snell trade. Unless he significantly outperforms Mejia in camp, Smith could find himself opening the season as organizational depth at Triple-A.
Smith is a large catcher with poor framing skills, a below-average arm and slow feet. At the plate, he is a surprisingly high-contact hitter with decent patience and gap power. At age 31, there is not another level coming for him, so he is what he is -- a third-string catcher. The Angels did not tender Smith a contract for 2020, and with front offices putting a stronger emphasis on framing and defense, it seems unlikely that Smith will be able to land a major-league contract. He would be a poor fit for your fantasy squad because Smith is simply not a productive hitter. He has a good OBP for a catcher, but that's the extent of his fantasy value. There is no late-career catcher bounce coming here, and there was little skill to begin with.
Smith handles the bat OK compared to his contemporaries at the position. He was the third wheel on the South Side of Chicago last season behind Welington Castillo and Omar Narvaez, logging only 187 plate appearances, but in that limited sample he showed improved bat-to-ball skills (9.6 K%, 15.6% in 2017). Most of his contact was on the ground, with Smith posting a 63% groundball rate compared to a 16.2% line-drive rate and 20.8% flyball rate. Even without the line drives, he still had a respectable .270 xBA according to Statcast. The Angels scooped Smith up off waivers in October, and as the roster stands now, he appears in line to open 2019 as Jonathan Lucroy's backup. He's an adequate framer and defender. The batted-ball numbers bode poorly for power growth, but Smith at least looks like a player who won't sink your batting average and that's something.
The White Sox brought in Welington Castillo in the offseason, leaving Smith as the likely odd-man out of the catching picture in Chicago. Omar Narvaez is a lefty bat and has displayed superior on-base skills, so he seems like the better complement to Castillo. Smith walked at just a 3.1 percent clip last season and hit for minimal power, with his 22.6 percent hard-hit rate ranking as the fourth-worst among semi-regular catchers (min. 250 plate appearances). The 29-year-old drives the ball into the ground at a high rate (57.3 percent career groundball rate) and he's a wash in terms of defense behind the plate. Unless the team opts to carry three catchers out of camp, Smith will likely be relegated to the minors to begin the year. An injury to either Castillo or Narvaez would open up time, but even then, he'd only be deserving of a $1 FAAB bid in two-catcher leagues.
The White Sox added Smith to their 40-man roster last offseason, but he spent all of 2015 at the Triple-A level. Smith, a former college quarterback, has a strong arm behind the plate and a strong rapport with pitchers, but it is difficult to judge his minor league numbers when he has progressed through the system slowly and has perpetually been much older than his competition. He has traditionally shown modest power and good contact rates, but the power fell off in his Triple-A debut. He should start 2016 at Triple-A once again, but could be in line for a big league debut if injury befalls the big league backstops.
More Fantasy News
Heads to bench
CAtlanta Braves  
July 18, 2021
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
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Gets breather Saturday
CAtlanta Braves  
July 10, 2021
Smith is not in the lineup for Saturday's against the Marlins.
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Not in Wednesday's lineup
CAtlanta Braves  
July 7, 2021
Smith isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
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Scores twice in rout
CAtlanta Braves  
July 1, 2021
Smith went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI in Atlanta's 20-2 win over the Mets on Wednesday.
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Picks up start in series finale
CAtlanta Braves  
June 16, 2021
Smith will start at catcher and bat seventh Wednesday against the Red Sox.
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