Last year, Josh Smith came of age offensively, so much so that he earned a Silver Slugger award as the league’s best-hitting utility player.
However, he spent a good portion of the season at shortstop for an injured Corey Seager and at third base for an injured Josh Jung. Both are healthy entering spring training.
So, where will Smith play this season? Texas Rangers president Chris Young isn’t quite sure yet, but his versatility will be his calling card and getting him on the field is a high priority.
“I think there are ways we can get him in the lineup at least four or five times a week, maybe six depending on the need,” Young said.
Smith stepped into third base in the first week of the season after Jung fractured his wrist when he was hit by a pitch. He spent the first half of the season at the hot corner, playing 83 games.
Later, when Seager went on the injured list with a sports hernia, he finished the season at shortstop, where he played 49 games.
He also played five games in the outfield — four games in left field and one in right field — along with a game at second base.
Offensively he slashed .258/.337/.394/.731 with 30 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 62 RBI, all of which either tied or set career-highs in a season.
But his defense is just as valuable. He has a lifetime .971 fielding percentage, with a .980 clip at third base, where he’s played more MLB games than any other position.
He’s played six different positions in three MLB seasons, as the Rangers asked him to fashion himself from a middle infielder into a super-utility player. That will be his role again in 2025, assuming everyone else is healthy.
His baseball aptitude, willingness to learn each position and his physical talent have allowed him to become indispensable to the Rangers. That’s why Young is setting out to get Smith regular playing time a priority.
“Josh stepped in last year and he was able to perform (offensively) while playing defensively well at multiple positions,” Young said. “That’s hard to do for a young player. That’s a hard thing for a veteran player. It’s such a versatile skill set and something that is so important to our team.”
It’s why on two different occasions on Saturday at Rangers Fanfest that Young was a possibility for playing time at center field. Both times it was unprompted.
Anything to get Smith on the field in Young’s mind.
