A Dream Realized: Terp Kevin Smith Is A Major Leaguer

WASHINGTON, DC - A typical late night for a minor league baseball player involves getting a snack, relaxing with some TV or video games, or even catching up on some much needed sleep. 

Former Maryland Terrapins shortstop Kevin Smith, was expecting to have one of those typical nights after his Tuesday game in Syracuse was rained out. 

Just before 11 p.m., Smith received the call that every single baseball player dreams about from the moment when they first put on a cap and glove. 

The Toronto Blue Jays informed him that he was being called up to the majors and would join the team in Washington, D.C. 

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Smith said. “Being here in D.C., so close to Maryland. It’s just crazy how kind of full circle it is. This means everything to me and is the validation of years and years of hard work.”

Donning the number 66, Smith took the field at Nationals Park for warmups at 2:30 in the afternoon and looked every part of the big leaguer that he is. Confident, smooth and with a newfound pep in his step. 

The shortstop didn’t start the game, but he did make his major league debut with an at-bat in the eighth inning where he battled, but struck out on a slider in the dirt. 

Not even the strikeout or the off and on thunderstorms in the D.C. area could rain on Smith’s parade as his day was one to remember. 

It was a day that was emblematic of all of Smith’s hard work and represents who he is and how he got there. 

Several of those years of hard work came when the former Terp was a standout player during his three seasons in College Park. One of those years was his true freshman season on the memorable 2015 Super Regional team. 

That team and its glorious run captured the hearts of Maryland fans all over the country and would go on to produce four major league baseball players with three of them coming from the top of the lineup.

San Francisco Giants outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. batted lead off for the Terps in 2015 and Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe batted third. Sandwiched in between them was Smith. 

Smith still remains close with a lot of his former Terp teammates with Lowe being one of the closest. When he got the news that he was coming up, one of the first calls was to his former infield partner.

“Brandon and I talked on the phone last night and it was a great conversation,” Smith said. “We’re still very good friends and we just talked about the journey. We talked about what it took to get here and how happy we both are.” 

The magic of the 2015 Super Regional team has yet to run out and even when it does, it has kickstarted the Maryland baseball program in a way that will be felt for generations. 

A total of 15 players from the 2015 Terps played in the minor leagues with the aforementioned Smith, Lowe and Wade Jr. all making it to the pros. Pitcher Mike Shawaryn also made it to the majors where he played for the Boston Red Sox in 2019.

After talking with the Blue Jays, his family and Lowe, Smith texted another familiar face: Maryland baseball coach Rob Vaughn. 

Vaughn was an assistant on the 2015 Maryland team and saw the potential in the group even then. 

“Kev has been a professional since the day he stepped on campus,” Vaughn said. “It was just a matter of time before he became a big leaguer. He has a great family, an incredible work ethic and an unbelievable human being. This is just the start of a long career for him.”

Current Terps assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Matt Swope has been supporting Smith throughout his entire journey. Swope, who was the team’s director of operations during Smith’s time in College Park, took the trip to Nationals Park on Wednesday afternoon to see one of his star pupils.

With major league talent now consistently funneling through College Park, the skies the limit for the budding program and both Smith and Coach Vaughn know it. 

“Maryland is a program on the rise,” said Smith, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft after his time in College Park. “Rob is taking it to new levels and I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of a group that left such a big mark on the program.”

Smith’s trip to the bigs was not without bumps. A late bloomer in high school, he heard doubts entering college that he wasn’t good enough to play at Maryland. When he failed to live up to preseason All-American expectations during his junior season, some evaluators questioned his ability to stick at shortstop and cut his strikeouts down at the next level. When he hit .209 and struck out 151 times in Double-A in 2019, those evaluations were almost proven right. 

Throughout it all, Smith stayed the course, never wavering in the belief in his ability and dream to make “The Show”.  After hitting .286 with a team-high 19 home runs and 63 RBIs with Triple-A Buffalo this season, he proved the doubters wrong with an exclamation point. 

“This was always the goal,” said Smith, “The most important people in my life believed in me and that’s all that matters. My family, my coaches and my teammates always had my back and I’m here because of them.”

But in the craziness of his first day with the Blue Jays, Smith wasn’t thinking about his legacy or his past. He was focused on the here and now.

When Smith got the phone call, he wasn’t sure if the “I’ve made it” moment had really hit him yet. He had so many different emotions that he couldn’t focus on just one of them.

As the day progressed and the realization that he had reached the highest level of professional baseball became that much more clear, it was harder to ignore and even harder for the 25-year old to comprehend. 

But the reality is clearer now than it’s ever been: Kevin Smith is and always will be a big leaguer. 

“I’m a major-league baseball player,” Smith said with wide eyes and a smile. “I’m here.”