Dodgers agree to deal with No. 32 pick Smith
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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers reached an agreement Saturday with No. 32 overall pick Will Smith on a $1.775 million bonus, according to MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis.
The club hasn't confirmed Smith's signing, but it has already announced the signings of 18 of its 42 picks in the Draft. That includes its first pick -- Gavin Lux, a high school shortstop out of Wisconsin -- and six of the team's first 10 picks.
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Smith, a 21-year-old right-handed catcher out of the University of Louisville, hit .382/.480/.567 with seven homers in 2016 as a junior. He struck out just 14 times, compared to 19 walks and 17 hit-by-pitches. He's also considered a quality defender behind the plate. Entering the Draft, Smith was ranked the No. 110 prospect by MLBPipeline.com.
"He's a late bloomer," scouting director Billy Gasparino said of Smith after he was drafted. "He was a shortstop in high school who converted to catcher, and it took him a while to sync in at that level and position. He's a plus athlete with a plus arm, he receives and throws well and had a really good year this year. He's starting to hit with power; he always had a short swing, but took it up another level with the power. He's from a great program, and intangibles are off the chart."
The agreement falls short of the pick's suggested value of $1,940,700, which should give the team some leeway as it tries to sign its remaining picks. Its top remaining unsigned pick is supplemental first-rounder Jordan Sheffield, a right-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt.