Pavin Smith

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Pavin Joe Smith

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Biographical Information[edit]

1B/OF Pavin Smith was selected 7th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2017 amateur draft. He had earlier been drafted in the 32nd round of the 2014 amateur draft by the Colorado Rockies but chose to attend the University of Virginia instead of signing. His teammate with the Cavaliers, OF Adam Haseley, was selected just one pick after him.

After signing, he was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League where he hit .318/.401/.415 in 51 games. In 2019, he had a very good season with the Jackson Generals of the Southern League, hitting .291/.370/.466 in 123 games, with 12 homers and 67 RBIs. However, like many other up-and-coming young players of his generation, his career was then upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After spending most of 2020 at Arizona's alternative training site, hewas promoted to the majors on September 12th and hit .270 in 12 games with his first big league homer. Arizona gave him a regular job in 2021, as he played 145 games between first base and the outfield, and he hit .267 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 98. The D-Backs were expecting more production from a player with limited defensive value, especially with his best position being manned by a superior player in Christian Walker, but it was not a bad season for a rookie who had had very little playing time the year before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When he hit just .220 in 75 games in 2022, there was some concern over whether he was a bust. His production in 2023, when his average fell below the Mendoza Line, at .188 in 69 games, simply reinforced these concerns. By now, his OPS+ was down to 76 and he played another 62 games in AAA with the Reno Aces, where he hit .318 with 13 homers. That solid production in the Pacific Coast League was what convinced the D-Backs to add him to their postseason roster after Jake McCarthy went down with an injury, and while he had only one plate appearance in the first two rounds, he went 3 for 9 in the NLCS when Arizona upset the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games, and appeared in four games in the World Series against the Texas Rangers, although that resulted in just one at-bat (he struck out).

Playing against the Houston Astros on the nationally-televized Sunday Night Baseball game on September 8, 2024, he had the game of a lifetime. He hit a three-run homer off the right field foul pole against Justin Verlander in the 2nd inning, then victimized Verlander for a grand slam in the 3rd. He continued his evening's work with a solo blast off reliever Kaleb Ort in the 5th and in the 7th, facing Hector Neris, he had a chance to become the first major leaguer to ever complete a home run cycle, as he came up with a runner on first base. However, he struck out, and then drew a walk against Josh Hader in the 9th inning, failing in his bid to be the first major leaguer with a four-homer game since J.D. Martinez, who was also playing with the D-backs, did so in 2017. He finished the night with 8 RBIs, another personal best, as Arizona won handily, 12-6. He had spent the first couple of months of the season with Arizona, hitting just .239 with one long ball in 22 games by the end of May. Ironically, he was off to a great month of June, homering in his first two games to raise his average to .294 when he was sent down to AAA on June 9th. He once again hit well with Reno, batting .318/.433/.564 in 62 games around another brief stay in the National League in late July before being called up for good in mid-August.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Andrew Mearns: "D-backs prospect Pavin Smith gave his parents the ultimate gift by paying off their mortgage", "Cut4", mlb.com, December 26, 2017. [1]
  • Jeremy Rakes: "Smith stuns Astros with 3 homers, 8 RBIs ... in first 3 at-bats", mlb.com, September 9, 2024. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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