Toronto Blue Jays draft Hidden Valley 18-year-old

Gavin Smith, who grew up in Hidden Valley and attended Legacy Traditional School, is just 18 and already on a pro baseball trajectory to play for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays drafted Smith, a shortstop who played at Valley Christian High School while living with his parents, Nathan and Christa Smith, near Maricopa. He was the first player for the Valley Christian Trojans to be drafted into Major League Baseball.

Gavin is expected to sign with the Blue Jays next week when he returns home from Alberta, his father said.

Several scouts looked closely at Smith while he was playing in Chandler for the Trojans, Nathan Smith said.

“They don’t take too many high school students, they want them to be in college,” Nathan Smith said, explaining why pro baseball scouts gave Gavin such a close look. “He had about seven scout there at about every game.”

The Blue Jays picked Smith up from his short stint at shortstop for the Edmonton Riverhawks in Alberta, Canada.

Because of his age, Smith will have to prove himself before he moves up to the Blue Jays.

But a guy who can throw a ball across the diamond at 92 mph is pretty attractive to the pros for beginners.

That means Gavin will be getting more minor league experience at the Blue Jays Single A farm club in Dunedin, Fla.
Nathan Smith said his son played for scout teams, including the Diamondbacks, the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. While in Edmonton, Nathan said Gavin played before 6,000 to 9,000 people in the stands, getting a good feel for the crowds to come.

“He had eight teams that were looking at drafting him,” Nathan said.

Gavin’s love of baseball was hatched in Maricopa club ball, where his first coach, Geno Chavez, took notice of him as a kid, age 10. Chavez later coached Gavin in area club ball for the Ahwatukee Devils.

“We’re really excited for him,” Chavez said. “He’s pretty athletic and his defense is probably what is catapulting him above these other kids in Arizona.”

The Chavez family is still close with Gavin. Geno and Valerie’s son, Ethan, is Gavin’s best friend and he has always been treated like family and a teammate, Chavez said.

Chavez said Gavin has a strong throwing arm, is fast at the bat and dedicated to the game.

“He’d stay there and do reps until the lights were turned off,” Chavez said.

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