Most who watched Jordan Smith play high school baseball two seasons ago at Pleasant Grove likely figured that if he ever made it to the Big Leagues, it would be for throwing out runners and digging balls out of the dirt.
Now it looks like Smith might be one of those major league guys throwing a few of those balls in the dirt.
Smith, one of Utah's top catchers his senior season, was drafted Tuesday by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round (174th overall), but as a pitcher not a catcher.
Smith was one of nine players with Utah ties selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft.
Salt Lake Community College's John Holdzkom was the first player with Utah ties selected when the New York Mets tabbed the 6-foot-8, 230-pound hard-throwing right hander in the fourth round (124th). Two rounds later Smith's name was called.
Cottonwood High's Cliff Andersen, who has signed to play at Oklahoma State University, was the first of two Utah high school seniors taken when the Chicago Cubs took him in the ninth round, while Alta's Jarrod Freeman, who has signed to play at the University of Utah, was taken in the 11th round (337th) by the Philadelphia Phillies.
University of Utah shortstop Ryan Khoury, who hit .438 in earning Mountain West Conference Player of the Year honors, was taken in the 12th round (373rd) by the Boston Red Sox.
Salt Lake Community College's Travis Barnett (Emery High School) and Kearns High's Todd Privett (College of Southern Idaho) went in the 14th round to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (409th) and New York Mets (424th), respectively.
Utah Valley right-hander Kameron Mickolio and Dixie State's Colt Adams (Hillcrest High) were taken in the 18th round, the final round of the day. The Seattle Mariners swiped up Mickolio, while the Astros took Adams, a right-handed pitcher, with the 549th overall pick.
The final 32 rounds will be held today, and BYU's Ben Saylor and Jesse Craig are among a group of Utahns still waiting for their number to be called.
The draft can be followed live on mlb.com or on XM Satellite Radio.
Following his high school days, Smith (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) converted to a pitcher, where he's been throwing fast balls in college that peak at 96 mph and average between 92-94 mph. The pro scouts like his body size, arm strength, work ethic and competitiveness.
Smith, last season's closer for the Community College of Southern Nevada, was hearing that he might go somewhere between the third and sixth rounds but was still surprised when he got the phone call early Tuesday afternoon from Cincinnati officials.
"I had talked to the Reds, but I thought I'd either be drafted by the Tigers or the Diamondbacks," he said.
An offer is on the table for Smith to pitch next season at UCLA, but Smith says he'll likely sign with the Reds later this week and will throw this summer for their Rookie League team in Florida.
"I want to play professional baseball," he said.
When Smith went to Salt Lake Community College in the fall of 2004, the Bruins pitching coach liked how hard Smith threw the ball, so he tried him out as a pitcher. Smith also recognized that his chances of making it to the major leagues were better as a pitcher, so he endorsed the change and began conditioning that strengthened his arm and prevented it from breaking down.
He transferred to Southern Nevada last season where he compiled seven saves as the Coyotes' closer. He finished with a 3.28 ERA and fanned 25 in 25 innings. Smith admits that he's still a raw pitching talent.
"I just need more innings right now so I become more confident in throwing different pitches in different situations," he said.
Ryan Hall, Smith's former coach at Pleasant Grove, said Smith has always had a strong arm, but with the Vikings that arm was needed more behind the plate. Still, Hall is not surprised at how well Smith has handled the conversion to pitcher.
"I'm sure that when he gets under those pitching instructors up there, with the way he works hard, that he'll do pretty good," Hall said.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com