The Athletic had a good piece on Smith today. To wit:
The pitchers Smith has faced during 18 Grapefruit League plate appearances accumulated a 6.7 opponent quality, according to Baseball-Reference. Major-league quality is 10. Triple A is 8 and Double A is 7. For reference, both Altuve and Yordan Alvarez have seen pitchers with an opponent quality higher than 8 in Grapefruit League play. Mauricio Dubón, who entered Tuesday with one hit in 19 at-bats, faced a 7.7 opponent quality. McCormick had a 7.1. Essentially, Smith has dominated pitchers who are a notch below Double A, which is what a prospect of his stature should do.
I have a feeling he’s gonna be good. VERY good. I think we got a gem. He’s not gonna be an ace. I’m not saying that, but I think we are going to have a solid 3 slot guy pitching in the 5 hole.
Hard to tell from a bobblehead, but it looks a lot less busy than the outgoing version. That’s a big point in its favor. Looks like a pretty nice cap, too. The wordmark isn’t for me but that’s the only gripe I’ve got.
It just irritates me that the Astros have one of the top 5 best looking uniforms in the history of organized baseball right there in their stable and just refuse to wear them, in favor of wearing these gawdy costumes that I wouldn’t wear to work in mud pit. Breaks my heart.
