Kevan Smith

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Kevan Smith was overwhelmed during his trip to Chicago.

After playing in an exhibition game March 14 in Milwaukee, Smith said that Chicago White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn took him and a few guys out.

“It’s unbelievable. The city is huge,” said Smith, a 26-year-old Seneca Valley graduate. “I’m sure there’s a ton of stuff that I didn’t even get to sniff.”

The trip boosted his aspirations. It also served as a springboard for Smith, who is in his first season of catching with the White Sox Double-A affiliate Birmingham Barons.

Smith has spent most of his first season in Double-A making opposing Southern League pitchers fear him. He is batting .320 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 47 games. His batting average is 10 points higher than anyone else in the White Sox’s farm system.

Improving defensively is what Smith feels he needs to do to advance. Playing football at Pitt for three years hindered his ability to develop those skills.

“Results don’t show what is going on behind the scenes. Not catching for three years set me back,” Smith said. “I’m consistently happy with how I’m progressing and handling the pitching staff.”

Smith has thrown out 36 percent (21 of 59) of attempted base stealers this season. He’s also made seven errors and has a .977 fielding percentage.

Managing pitchers has also been a big part of his development.

The Barons’ coaching staff declined an interview request.

Smith says he uses all stats available and tries to look for weakness when calling a game.

“It’s one of those things you can’t look too deep into,” Smith said about all the information available. “That’s something I like to let the game dictate. If I see a guy is late on a fastball, I will call another fastball. Why let their bat slow down with a slider or changeup?”

While Smith said playing football for three years slowed his development, he’s glad he played.

That’s why when he moved up and played in front of crowds of 10,000 to 15,000 people, it didn’t intimidate him. Smith started in front of 85,000 people as a quarterback for Pitt at Michigan State in 2004.

He switched to baseball in 2009 and was an All-Big East player. The White Sox picked him in the seventh round in 2011.

“A lot of people say, ‘Why didn’t you play baseball right away? Playing football helped me develop physically and mentally,” Smith said. “Physically, it got me faster and stronger. Mentally, playing in front of those big crowds was an eye-opener for me.”

He’s hoping to parlay his good play into a spot in the majors. That way he can explore his full potential — and the rest of Chicago.

“The higher you get, the more you start facing logjams. You can’t worry about what other guys are doing,” Smith said. “The things I can control are how I play on the field and what I do to prepare myself.”