With the 149th overall pick during round five of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft, the Mets selected right-handed shortstop D’Andre Smith from the University of Southern California (USC). He is a 21-year old that stands at 5’9”, 180lbs from Diamond Bar, California.
Smith was ranked as the No. 189 prospect on MLB.com and No. 275 on Prospects Live. He has a 50-grade run and field score on MLB.com’s 20-80 scale.
Smith played for Southern California’s San Dimas High School, a school that both Jimmy and Peter Lambert graduated. He declared for the 2020 MLB Draft but went undrafted in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-era shortened draft. Prior to the 2020 draft, scouts said during his high school years, Smith was known for his ability to make hard contact on the ball.
After going undrafted, Smith enrolled at USC. He hit well as a freshman in 2021 and went on to play in the Appy League in the summer of 2021. According to Prospects Live, Scouts began really looking at Smith during his true freshman year with the Trojans. He batted .341 in 14 games in 2021. He was known for his control of the strike zone, batting eye, and ability to make contact.
In 2022, Smith was USC’s starting shortstop. He has adapted from being a contact hitter to trying to become more of a power hitter. As a result, his strikeout numbers rose. However, Smith remained patient at the plate, drawing a large amount of walks as well. As scouts have noted, teams will look for Smith to put height on the ball and to hit more powerful.
Though he was drafted as a shortstop, scouts do not believe it is likely he stays at the position. The expectation is he will move to second base eventually because he has an average arm. Of course, should Smith continue to develop his power while retaining a keen eye at the plate, the Mets will find a position for him.
