Toronto Blue Jays Have a Two-Way Prospect Turning Heads Internally

The Toronto Blue Jays have a diamond in the rough prospect they're hopeful will hone his craft in the minor leagues from both sides of the baseball moving forward.

San Diego designated hitter Austin Smith (3) reacts after hitting a single. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Way back when Shohei Ohtani hit free agency for the first time, the Toronto Blue Jays made a bid at adding the two-way superstar before he ultimately chose the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the movement of a two-way player has only grown since Ohtani's debut.

So much so that the Blue Jays are looking to develop a two-way player of their own in the minor leagues. Drafted in the 10th round of the 2025 MLB Draft, outfielder and left-handed pitcher Austin Smith made his professional pitching debut on Thursday for the Dunedin Blue Jays, the franchise's Single-A affiliate.

Smith was only able to record one out in his debut on the mound, allowing one hit, one run, and walking two batters. Focusing on pitching for the day, Smith never picked up the bat and hit the lineup, as those type of Ohtani skills will hopefully come.

Smith's Excitement for the Role

San Diego utility Austin Smith (3) steals second base in the fourth inning. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

This isn't the first time that Smith has pitched along the way of his development, having pitched for San Diego before getting drafted by Toronto. Ahead of his debut, Smith spoke on the level of confidence he's bringing into this opportunity to grow as a two-way player.

"To do it at the professional level is definitely something exciting and something that I look forward to," Smith told Dunedin on X (formerly Twitter).

"Double the work, but that's what I signed up for when I wanted to be a two-way (player). Get to the field, do all my hitting, jumping with the pitchers, and throw with them. Keep bouncing back and forth and the coaches are pretty great, letting me communicate and do what I need to do."

The Toronto Blue Jays logo during batting practice. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

In 2025, as a player who primarily played the outfield, Smith held a .259 batting average in 21 games, with five doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, 12 walks and 12 strikeouts. So far this season, Smith is hitting .200 at the plate in five games, still searching for his first home run and extra base hit.

Some might think that becoming a two-way player means that there is more pressure added to develop at a quick rate. For Smith, he still has a ton of time to develop into a player who is reliable at the plate and serviceable when needing to pitch.

"I take what I can do as something special, and I'm super excited to go out and do it," Smith said ahead of his pitching debut.