Tristan Smith Stats & Scouting Report

Full name James Tristan Smith
Born 05/25/2003 in Spartanburg, SC
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: L
School Boiling Springs
Drafted in the 5th round (150th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2024 (signed for $600,000).

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School: Clemson
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Tools: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 40.

Smith showed one of the best pure arms in the 2022 high school class, when he ranked as the No. 64 prospect. The South Carolina prep wound up making it to campus at Clemson in part because of control questions, which proved warranted because Smith has a 15% career walk rate in his two seasons with the Tigers. Now a 6-foot-2, 195-pound draft-eligible sophomore, Smith remains a high-profile prospect because of his impressive pure stuff from the left side. He averaged nearly 93 mph this spring and has been up to 96 with solid riding life on his fastball and has a pair of quality secondaries in his slider and changeup. His slider is a low-80s sweeping pitch that also features a bit of downward depth and earns consistent plus grades, while his mid-80s changeup is a solid third pitch that he uses at a decent clip to both lefties and righties. Smith improved his feel for both secondaries in 2024 but remains a below-average pure strike-thrower who will face significant reliever questions. He spent most of his 2023 season pitching out of the bullpen but in 2024 pitched as a full-time starter and posted a 4.47 ERA over 50.1 innings with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate.

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Draft Prospects

School: Clemson Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Tools: Fastball: 55. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 40.

Smith showed one of the best pure arms in the 2022 high school class, when he ranked as the No. 64 prospect. The South Carolina prep wound up making it to campus at Clemson in part because of control questions, which proved warranted because Smith has a 15% career walk rate in his two seasons with the Tigers. Now a 6-foot-2, 195-pound draft-eligible sophomore, Smith remains a high-profile prospect because of his impressive pure stuff from the left side. He averaged nearly 93 mph this spring and has been up to 96 with solid riding life on his fastball and has a pair of quality secondaries in his slider and changeup. His slider is a low-80s sweeping pitch that also features a bit of downward depth and earns consistent plus grades, while his mid-80s changeup is a solid third pitch that he uses at a decent clip to both lefties and righties. Smith improved his feel for both secondaries in 2024 but remains a below-average pure strike-thrower who will face significant reliever questions. He spent most of his 2023 season pitching out of the bullpen but in 2024 pitched as a full-time starter and posted a 4.47 ERA over 50.1 innings with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate.
School: Boiling Springs HS, Spartanburg, S.C. Committed/Drafted: Clemson
Age At Draft: 19.2
BA Grade: 55/Extreme
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: - | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: | Control: 45
Smith dominated at Perfect Game’s National showcase last summer, pitching two perfect innings and striking out every batter he faced. He’s an average sized lefthander—listed at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds—but scouts saw some of the best pure stuff from any southpaw out of his hand last summer. He has a fastball that runs into the mid 90s at best and pairs it with a sharp and biting two-plane breaking ball in the 79-81 mph range. When he’s landing that pitch it has proven to be almost unhittable for prep hitters—both in the zone as a swing-and-miss offering and as a chase pitch that draws bad swings below the zone. While his stuff is electric when he’s throwing strikes, control has been an issue for Smith this spring and for those who scouted him as an underclassman. Because of that scattered control, and the fact that he rarely throws a changeup, there are scouts who think he has plenty of reliever risk. Smith is committed to Clemson.