Smith

TAMPA, Fla. — Being a minor league free agent for the second successive season didn't matter to Tampa Bay catcher Kevan Smith.

It was as if he never left.

That's because he didn't.

The Seneca Valley graduate and 32-year-old major league catcher recently signed another minor league deal with the Rays. He hit .258 with a homer and eight RBI in 17 games with the American League champions last year.

“Between 'Z' (Mike Zunino, Michael Perez and myself, I felt like we had the best three-man deep catching staff in the majors,” Smith said. “Then, at the end of the season, we were all let go.

“That was an eye opener.”

The Rays brought back Zunino with a less expensive contract. Perez signed with the Pirates as a free agent.

Smith said he only had a spattering of interest as a free agent last year. This time around, he and his agent talked with a dozen teams.

“We whittled that list down to six, then four, the final two ... Tampa Bay was the best place for me,” Smith said. “This is a first-class organization that is up front with its players. They've always treated me right.

“When I was cut loose, they said they had interest in bringing me back. I feel like I have a real opportunity here.”

Zunino hit .147 with four homers in the 60-game 2020 season. He was the Rays' catcher in the postseason and figures to be the starter in 2021. Tampa Bay has also signed catchers Francisco Mejia, 25 — who hit .077 with a homer in limited play with the Giants last season — and Joe Odom, 28, who hit. 128 in 39 at bats with Seattle.

“You figure Zunino is going to catch 80 to 90 games this season,” Smith said. “That leaves another 60, 70 or 80 games for someone to catch. My goal is to get those games.”

Smith is a .272 lifetime hitter in the major leagues with 13 homers and 79 RBI in 685 at bats, spread out over five major league seasons.

“I was a starter for a while with the White Sox, started the final seven weeks of a season for the Angels and I killed it ... I can't explain why I'm not a starting catcher. I wasn't a first-round draft pick, I blew out my back, there could be a number of reasons.

“I'm a major league baseball player. That means I'm one of the best 60 catchers in the world. I'll gladly take that.

“My career's been a roller-coaster and I'm still riding that roller-coaster. I just want to keep playing baseball,” he added.

Smith was not on Tampa Bay's postseason roster this past season, but was the next man up in the event of any injury to a teammate.

“If someone even tweaked a hamstring, I was the guy. I would have been in there because I was our next best hitter,” Smith said. “But our trainers did a great job keeping everybody healthy.

“Still, I was in the dugout the entire postseason, very much a part of things. We almost took down the three-headed monster — Yankees, Astros and Dodgers — took the Dodgers to six games. That's an experience I'll never forget.”

To this day, Smith is grateful for his experiences in football, including starting at quarterback for Pitt as a freshman.

“What football did for me was slow down baseball,” he said. “I never caught up to the speed of (football) at that level. Pat Bostick and Tino Sunseri, they were pure quarterbacks. I was always behind.

“But catching games at Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, inside Houston's park where it's deafening ... I played quarterback in front of 100,000 people at Michigan State. I was ready for it.

“I've played high-profile positions in both sports. I've been through it all in terms of people's reactions toward me. These experiences have been character-builders, made me a stronger person. I'll always be grateful for that,” Smith added.