White Sox: Kevan Smith Looking to Have More Power in 2018
White Sox catcher looking to hit for more power next season. The 29-year-old only hit four home runs during 2017 season.
Chicago White Sox catcher Kevan Smith is looking to hit for more power next season according to Scott Merkin of whitesox.com. Smith will be entering his second complete season in the majors in 2018, and he had a solid 2017 for the Sox.
Smith appeared in 87 games for the Sox this past season and hit .283/.309/.388 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. The 29-year-old catcher hit 17 doubles in his first complete season on the South Side. In 2016, Smith only appeared in seven games for the sox and hit .125 with no extra-base hits.
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The Sox aren’t likely to spend big on free agency this upcoming offseason, and Smith should get some considerable playing time behind the plate in 2018. Smith and Omar Narvaez provided a solid catching duo for the Sox in 2017 and could do the same again next season.
For Smith, he would like to improve as a hitter going into the 2018 season according to Merkin. Smith stated that he has a lot of power in his tank and we would like to explore those options. The Sox 2011 seventh-round draft pick mentioned to Merkin that he would like to hit more home runs and get more extra-base hits.
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The Sox were able to get some solid value from Smith this past season. Although he wasn’t elite offensively or defensively, Smith did better than the Sox could have expected entering 2017. Smith will most likely get more opportunities to perform next year and he could find himself with a much bigger role as the Sox starting catcher entering the 2018 season.