Luke
Smith

NY Games (June 25-27, 2017)

Athletic 6-foot-0 build with a 60 time of 7.13. Offensively - Switch hitter who barrels up well from both sides of the plate with an exit velocity of 81 MPH from both sides of the plate. Uses slight toe tap with a an efficient load, repeatable swing a slight upper cut, drives the ball to middle third. Drives gaps from both sides. Defensively- Aggressive footwork leads to a position velocity of 79 MPH, works in a mini-crowhop to get downward plane on throws from the outfield. True gamer that plays fast and aggressive.  Offensive minded LF/CF at the next level.

Smith stands in at 6-foot-0, 170-pounds with a tall and lean athletic frame. Ran a 6.89 – 60, which is a hair quicker than his previous best recorded time of 6.90 in October 2016. Offensively- Switch hitter with talent on both sides. From the left side he sets up square to the pitcher with his feet outside his shoulders. Has a slight knee bend and an upright torso holding his hands in front of the back shoulder showing little pre-pitch bat movement prior to the delivery. On pitch his trigger is a quick knee raise into a stride forward while his hands remain still in a pre-set hitting position. Has quick hands to the hitting zone with upward barrel action throughout. Good lower body rotation clearing hips and locking weight on front side. A more defined trigger of the hands will aid in getting the barrel through the hitting zone to make better contact. Demonstrated solid contact up the middle on the left side and recorded and exit velocity of 78 MPH. On the right side of the plate he sets up in a similar position with a wide stance, knees bent and hands held in front of the back shoulder. On pitch his trigger is a quick knee raise to step forward while his hands move back slightly to get into the hitting position. Shows quick hands into the hitting zone with an upward barrel bat path throughout into a high two handed finish. Good lower body rotation getting whole frame involved in swing. From the right side recorded an exit velocity of 82 MPH. Defensively- Athletic footwork getting to the baseball with good crow hop mechanics. Shows a good outfielder arm swing with a high release point gaining ground throughout the process of the throw towards his intended target. Was accurate with his throws into home plate. Recorded a positional arm velocity of 76 MPH, which is 3 MPH shy of his previously best recorded mark of 79 MPH in October of 2016.

Last Chance Preview (October 30, 2016)

Smith, a 2018 switch-hitting outfielder, stands at 6-foot-0 and weighs in at a firm 170 pounds, ran an impressive 6.9 60. Offensively- From the left-side, starts with a square balanced lower half with the hands in front of the back shoulder and barrel of the bat almost straight up from the ground. Gets to the launch phase with a very simple approach of a slight lift of the front foot, with no movement forward, while the hands stay locked in and a subtle shift of weight to the back side. Drove the ball best to the middle of the field, but could get more extension if the lead heel could down more firmly which would help the front hip stay closed longer. From the right-handed side, begins with a balanced square lower half with a slight bend in the knees with the hands in front of the back shoulder with the barrel of the bat more than 45-degrees. Initiates the swing with a slight shift of weight to the backside with a slight lift of the front foot while the hands get loaded back off the shoulder. Drove the ball from the pull side gap to the opposite field gap well, showing the strongest area to be from center field to the opposite gap. Gets the lead foot down quickly and firmly generating quality bat speed and extension which helped register an exit velocity of 80 MPH.  Defensively- Athletic and clean movements to the ball, although does get a bit tentative with balls on the ground. Funnels the ball to chest high and transfers from the center of the body creating the traditional longer arm action from an outfielder. Throws showed good carry and accuracy, however during the throw the front foot gets up on the toe rather than staying flat which will elevate the throwing arm rather than keep it parallel to the the front side costing some extension on the throw. Registered an arm velocity of 79 MPH on the day.