LATEST PG SHOWCASE REPORT
2004 Spring Top Prospect Showcase
SS Erik Smith: We’ve been trying to get this junior athlete from far western Iowa to an event for some time. The problem has always been that the 6-2, 195 lb. Smith is a 4-sport star who is a Division I football prospect at wide receiver, along with a top notch basketball player and track star. He drove the 4 hours to Cedar Rapids early Saturday morning despite having a track meet the night before and not having picked up a ball or a bat since November. Despite the lack of repetitions, Smith performed well and really showed us a great attitude and personality as well. He has very good body life and balance and with shoulders that look like he’s wearing his football pads, is plenty strong now and could be extra strong in the future. At the plate, Smith sets up with his hands low and has a short, quick trigger while generating good bat speed. He was a line drive machine during batting practice, consistently making solid contact to all fields. There is plenty that Smith can do with his hand position and hips/lower half that will make him a better hitter with repetitions. Defensively, Smith had good actions at shortstop for a player his size and profiles well to third base in the future. Smith also took the mound for an inning and was 80-81 with his fastball and a 73 mph slider that had some sharpness. We hope to get more looks at Smith on the baseball field over the next year if his busy schedule allows!