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Blue Jays turning 23-year old into a 2-way player who can hit and pitch

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Blue Jays turning 23-year old into a 2-way player who can hit and pitch originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The Toronto Blue Jays might not have signed Shohei Ohtani when he was a free agent before he landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But they're seeking to have their own two-way player in the future.

The candidate's name is Austin Smith, and the minor league outfielder made his first professional pitching appearance on Thursday at Single-A Dunedin.

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This isn't a random move. Smith has done this before.

The Blue Jays chose him in the 10th round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego. 

While in college, Smith played both ways well enough that he was a finalist for the John Olerud Award, which is given to the best two-way player in Division I baseball.

Smith had a .305 career batting average as a college hitter with 20 home runs. He also had a 4.12 ERA in 53 outings on the mound for San Diego.

The Blue Jays started Smith out as just an outfielder. He's hit .261 entering action on Thursday with a .779 OPS.

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Toronto evidently wants to give Smith the best chance to maximize his potential. This path could lead to him just choosing one down the road.

Or maybe, just maybe, Smith shows that he can do both at a high level. Having a guy go both ways while at the MLB level feels like it gives you something to dream on.

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