Report: Gators Catcher Brady Smith Signs Free-Agent Contract With Rangers

The Gators will be losing their catcher to the MLB just days after the MLB Draft took off, leaving the Gators with plenty of returns.

According to a report from GatorCountry's Nick de la Torre, Florida Gators catcher/infielder Brady Smith will be leaving the Gators to join the major leagues after signing a free-agent contract with the Texas Rangers.

This comes just days after the 2020 MLB Draft in which the Gators lost one recruit, outfielder Zac Veen who was selected in the first round, ninth-overall to the Colorado Rockies. The Gators did, however, retain plenty of roster capital, including incoming freshman Colby Halter.

Along with Halter, the Gators will retain two important pitchers as both Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich for the upcoming season.

Smith first joined the Gators in 2018, playing in 53 games which were the most among UF's freshmen for that season. He made 40 starts, including 23 at first base, nine at third base, seven at catcher and one at designated hitter. Since then he's made a total of  53 starts at catcher, finishing with a .270 average, five home runs and 20 RBI.

Smith joined the Gators as the 135th-ranked player in the class of 2017 and the 9th-ranked  catcher in the country.

Replacing Smith will likely be rising true sophomore Nathan Hickey from Jacksonville (Fla.) after playing high school baseball at Providence School. Hickey made 15 appearances and 13 starts (eight at catcher, five as a designated hitter). he batted .311, hitting four home runs, both ranked second on the team in 2020.

The Gators baseball season was cut incredibly short, playing only 17 games on the season, losing one.

In total, the Gators will still be incredibly strong entering next season, whenever that is to be played. While losing Smith is a bit of a hit due to how well he's played over the past few seasons, the team retained the strength while adding players from high school to potentially offset any losses.