Grant Smith Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky shortstop Grant Smith has been named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, given to the top SS in Division I, the College Baseball Foundation announced.
Smith was one of 12 players brought in via the transfer portal, making the big leap to the SEC from Incarnate Word. He earned the starting shortstop gig and was tasked with replacing the production of Ryan Ritter, a Gold Glove winner and MLB draft selection.
The 6-foot, 180-pound senior out of Albuquerque, N.M. has done just that, providing help on offense and defense. Manning the nine-hole in the batting order for the entirety of the 2023 season thus far, Smith is slashing .283/.362/.392 in 36 games as a Wildcat. He has 34 hits and 19 RBIs on the season, including four doubles, three home runs and eight bunt singles.
While the offensive numbers are serviceable, Smith's glove has made him one of the most welcomed additions to the 2023 roster. In 153 chances at short, he has committed just two errors, good for a .987 fielding percentage. His 103 assists are the most in the SEC, while his 21 fielded double plays are seventh.
"It's been all I could ask for," Smith said when asked about his time at Kentucky. "It's been awesome. All the reasons I came to Kentucky, i've experienced so far and i'm looking forward to building more with these guys."
The initial watch list for the award features 101 shortstops:
“We are seeing some defensive-minded shortstops this year, with many of the kids without an error or very few errors as we sift through the candidates for this year’s Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award,” said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the award. “Of course, big offensive numbers are again a part of this class as is evident by the power numbers we are seeing.”
Smith is one of nine SEC shortstops on the list. He has the highest fielding percentage of the group:
- Cole Foster (Auburn)
- Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss)
- Hunter Haas (Texas A&M)
- Jim Jarvis (Alabama)
- Josh Rivera (Florida)
- Grant Smith (Kentucky)
- Jordan Thompson (LSU)
- Jonathan Vastine (Vanderbilt)
- Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina)
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