Justin Kyle Smoak (born December 5, 1986) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who is currently a free agent. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

. Smoak played baseball for Stratford High School and the University of South Carolina. He was the 11th overall selection in the 2008 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. He made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2010, and was traded to the Seattle Mariners that season. He was claimed by the Blue Jays off waivers in 2014, and played for them until 2019. He was an All Star in 2017, and was fifth in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

that season with 38

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

High school

Smoak graduated from Stratford High School in 2005, after four years of high school baseball. It wasn't until his junior year that scouts began to notice his talent, as they were originally there to scout his teammate and friend, Matt Wieters. He was named by

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball Manager (baseball), coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coach ...

, ''

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'', and Collegiate Baseball as a 2005 high school All-American. He was also one of 36 high school players in the nation to play in the 2005 high school All-American baseball game, named South Carolina AAAA Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, named co-Mr. Baseball for 2005 in South Carolina (alongside Gamecock teammate Reese Havens), made the 2004 and 2005 South Carolina AAAA All-State team, and a member of the 2005 South Carolina AAAA state championship team while with the Stratford Knights. He was initially drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

as a 16th-round pick in 2005 upon graduation, but instead attended the University of South Carolina.

College

Smoak went on to play college baseball for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

for three years. After batting .303 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs, Smoak earned Freshman All-American honors. He followed up with a .315 batting average, 22 home runs, and 72 RBIs in his sophomore year, good enough to be tabbed as a third-team All-American. For his junior year, Smoak batted .383, with 23 home runs and 72 RBIs. Smoak was a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award in 2007 and 2008. Smoak is South Carolina's all-time home run king with 62, having broken Hank Small's record of 48, which stood for over 30 years. He is also South Carolina's career leader in RBIs and walks.

Cape Cod League and Team USA

In the summer of 2006, Smoak played for the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

(CCBL). He led all hitters with 11 home runs, a .565 slugging percentage, and 21 extra-base hits, en route to the MVP award. Smoak is a member of the CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2022. In the summer of 2007, Smoak was a representative for Team USA. During the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

, Smoak struggled, hitting .190 for the tournament. He won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, et ...

there, when his team lost to Cuba in the finals. Later, he competed with Team USA again in the 2007 World Port Tournament. However, he didn't fare much better, as he finished with a .208 average, though he did lead the tournament with three doubles. In all, Smoak hit .223 and had a .380 slugging percentage for Team USA over the summer. In 2009, Smoak again represented his country in the IBAF

Baseball World Cup The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two acti ...

. Smoak hit nine

and drove in 22 runs, and was named to the 2009 IBAF World Cup All-Tournament Team along with fellow Team USA players Terry Tiffee and Jon Weber. He was also named the 2009 Baseball World Cup's Most Valuable Player. He won the

USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for organized baseball in the United States, and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Basebal ...

Richard W. "Dick" Case Player of the Year Award in 2009.

Professional career

Draft

Smoak was the 11th overall selection in the 2008 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' opined that "getting Smoak at No. 11 may be the best-value pick of the first round." Several scouting reports wrote that Smoak's biggest strength was his ability to hit for both power and average on both sides of the plate. Some scouts compared Smoak to fellow switch hitters Mark Teixeira and

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the List of first ov ...

. Smoak's defense was described by mlb.com as follows: "He's got an average arm, but it's good enough for first base... He's not bad around the base with good hands.... The lack of footspeed and heavy lower half provide very limited range." ''Baseball America'' wrote that, as a first baseman, Smoak had "Gold Glove-caliber actions and soft hands", as well as "advanced footwork and instincts at first base", though they wrote that he had merely adequate arm strength. As to his running speed, mlb.com wrote: "He's below average, with heavy legs. He's a bit stiff and knock-kneed."

Texas Rangers

Smoak did not sign a professional contract until 15 minutes before MLB's deadline for teams to sign draft picks, with Texas general manager

Jon Daniels Jon Daniels (born August 24, 1977) is an American baseball executive senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He recently served as the President of Baseball Operations for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (M ...

saying: "This is a day we would have liked to have seen happen two months ago, but we think 10 or 15 years from now that will be irrelevant." The Rangers gave Smoak a $3.5 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and assigned him to one of their Class-A affiliates, the Clinton LumberKings. Smoak began play in the 2009 season for the Class AA

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regi ...

. He was promoted on July 8, 2009, to the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks. Smoak entered 2010 ranked among the best prospects in baseball. Smoak was called up by the Rangers on April 22, 2010, and made his MLB debut the following evening in a game against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He recorded his first MLB hit on April 26, against the Tigers. Smoak set a franchise record by drawing at least one walk in each of his first four games. Smoak got his first MLB home run against the

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on April 29 off

Gavin Floyd Gavin Christopher Floyd (born January 27, 1983), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue ...

, and hit his first MLB home run while batting right-handed on May 3, against Oakland off Jerry Blevins. On June 13, playing in Milwaukee, Smoak became the first player in Rangers history to strike out five times in a nine-inning game. In 2010 for Texas, he batted .209/.316/.353.

Seattle Mariners

On July 9, 2010, Smoak was traded to the

with prospects Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matt Lawson, for

Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for four teams, most notably the Philadelphia Philli ...

and Mark Lowe. Smoak was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma on July 31. He returned to the Mariners on September 18 and batted .340 with three home runs in the final 14 games of his rookie season. Former

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

announcer Kevin Calabro gave him the nickname "The Freak From Goose Creek". In 2010, he batted .239/.287/.407 for Seattle, with five home runs and 14 RBIs. In 2011, Smoak appeared in 123 games and hit .234/.323/.396 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. On July 23, 2012, Smoak was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, after his batting average dropped down to .189 in the middle of a 1-for-25 slump. A few weeks later he was brought back up to the Mariners due to an injury to first baseman Mike Carp. In 2012, he batted .217/.290/.364 with 19 home runs and 51 RBI in 132 games played. Smoak hit 20 home runs in 131 games played during the 2013 campaign. In 2014, his final season in Seattle, Smoak batted .202/.275/.339 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 80 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

On October 28, 2014, the

claimed Smoak off of waivers. On December 2, Smoak was

non-tendered Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season. They may include waiving, releasing, and trading players, as well as assigning players to minor league teams. Active, expanded, an ...

by the Blue Jays, making him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

. One day later, they re-signed him to a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2015 season. He made his debut with Toronto on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

, as a defensive replacement for

Edwin Encarnación Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Clevela ...

. On April 22, 2015, Smoak set the all-time record for most

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runn ...

s without hitting a triple to open a career. He extended the record to 2,317 plate appearances, before hitting his first career triple on June 12, against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. In a game at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

on August 8, Smoak hit his first career grand slam, and also became the first Blue Jay to hit a grand slam against the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

at their home field. He split time at first base for most of the 2015 season with

Chris Colabello Christopher Adrian Colabello (born October 24, 1983) is an Italian-American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, a ...

. In 132 games, Smoak batted .226 with 18 home runs and a career-high 59 RBIs. From 2010-15, his defense was below-average for a major league first baseman, as measured by

UZR Ultimate zone rating (UZR) is a sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened (hit/out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the "a ...

(Ultimate Zone Rating) and DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). Smoak signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract for the 2016 season with the Blue Jays on December 2, 2015. He changed his uniform number from 13 back to 14, which he had vacated for David Price. On April 5, 2016, he stole his first base in 433 games. On May 3, Smoak hit a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and in the tenth inning, hit a walk-off two-run home run to defeat the Texas Rangers 3–1. On July 16, Smoak signed a two-year, $8.25 million extension with the Blue Jays that included a $6 million option for a third year, with a $250,000 buyout. He had an 0-for-29 slump with

runners in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when they are on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter ...

, one at bat short of the team's all-time record for the longest hitless streak with runners in scoring position. Smoak played in 126 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, and hit .217/.314/.391 with 14 home runs and 34 RBIs. He struck out 112 times in 341 plate appearances; his 32.8% strikeout rate was the 6th-highest in major league baseball for players with at least 330 plate appearances. He was included on the team's Wild Card and Division Series rosters, but was left off the Championship Series roster. On October 15, Smoak was added to Toronto's ALCS roster after Devon Travis was removed due to injury. In 2017, Smoak was the American League starting first baseman for the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. At the time, Smoak had a .303 batting average and 22 home runs, both of which were career highs. On August 25, Smoak hit his 35th home run of the season, and broke José Cruz Jr.'s franchise record for home runs in a single season by a switch-hitter. Smoak ended the 2017 season batting .270 with 128 strikeouts in 560 at bats, and as the Blue Jays' leader in both home runs (38) and RBIs (90), while seeing the highest percentage of

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...

s of all MLB hitters (16.6%). Smoak struggled to match his 2017 offensive numbers the following season. On August 20, 2018, Smoak cleared revocable waivers ahead of the August 31 trade deadline, fueling speculation that he was about to be moved. By the end of the season, Smoak batted .242 with 156 strikeouts in 505 at bats, and was tied for first on the team in home runs (25) and led the team in RBIs (77) and OBP (.350). He struck out in 26.3% of his at bats, the 8th-highest rate in the American League.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 19, 2019, Smoak signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the

. Smoak was designated for assignment by the Brewers on September 3, 2020. To that point, he had hit .186/.262/.381 with five home runs over 126 plate appearances. He was released on September 7.

San Francisco Giants

On September 9, 2020, Smoak signed a minor league contract with the

. Smoak was selected to the active roster the next day. After going hitless in six at-bats, the Giants designated Smoak for assignment on September 21. On September 23, Smoak was released.

Yomiuri Giants

On January 7, 2021, Smoak signed with the

(NPB). On June 18, 2021, Smoak decided to leave the Giants and Japan in order to return to the United States to be with his family. In 34 games with Yomiuri, Smoak batted .272/.336/.482 with 7 home runs and 14 RBI.

Personal life

In November 2010, Smoak married his high school sweetheart, Kristin Bevacqua. They have two daughters. In April 2011, Smoak's father, with whom he had been very close, died of cancer.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoak, Justin 1986 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars Arizona League Rangers players Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Baseball players from South Carolina Clinton LumberKings players Cotuit Kettleers players Frisco RoughRiders players Major League Baseball first basemen Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Milwaukee Brewers players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Goose Creek, South Carolina Peoria Javelinas players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina Surprise Rafters players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players United States national baseball team players Yomiuri Giants players