Carlton Smith

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #30 prospect in 2006
  The Indians took Smith's older brother Corey with the 26th overall pick in the 2000 draft. Corey ranked No. 1 on this list in 2002 but stalled and was traded to the Padres for another disappointing first-round pick, Jake Gautreau, in February 2005. Carlton had much less fanfare as an amateur, going in the 21st round in 2004 and signing as a draft-and-follow after spending a year at Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) CC. There were significant questions about his older brother's makeup, but there are no such issues with Carlton's aptitude and willingness to respond to instruction. Smith throws two- and four-seam fastballs, usually sitting in the low 90s and topping out at 93 mph. While he locates his fastball well on the right side of the plate, he's not as effective pitching to the other corner. His late-breaking slider has the potential to be an above-average pitch with good depth and sharpness, and he's also developing a changeup. His mechanics are clean, though he still has somewhat of an upright finish and needs to work on his balance and separation to get the most out of his delivery. Smith had surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee near the end of his debut but will be ready for spring training. He likely will spend 2006 at Mahoning Valley.