James Smith

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #143 prospect in 2021 draft
  When Smith committed to Vanderbilt, he was throwing in the 88-91 mph range with impressive feel for his changeup and solid control and command. He’s changed his profile over the past year or so, and now has one of the livelier fastballs in the high school class, a pitch that has been up into the 97-98 mph range at its best, with arm-side running action that comes from a lower, three-quarter arm slot. A big and physical righthander listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Smith attacks hitters with a lot of moving parts, with a long and inverted arm action in the back and a crossfire landing on his finish with significant effort. That has led to questions about his strike throwing and control and leads some scouts to think he’s ultimately best suited for a bullpen role. Smith has thrown multiple breaking balls, a low-80s slider and a mid-70s curve, and scouts think those pitches play up thanks to the life of his fastball, but they both need further refinement and consistency, and some scouts wonder if his arm action will prevent him from getting to an above-average breaking ball. He does have good feel for his changeup, which has a chance to be an above-average pitch. Smith’s arm talent is legit, and he has starter upside if he can iron out some of the moving parts in his delivery, but he could be a tough sign out of Vanderbilt.