KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — When Brady Smith stepped onto the Grainger baseball field as a freshman, head coach Garrett Yates knew their was something special about his game.
“We let him play in a JV game when he played shortstop and he’s made like two plays that I don’t know that many high school kids can make as a freshman behind the bag at shortstop and he just threw it on a dot to first base wasn’t even looking and I told our pitching coach, he’s, he’s different,” said Yates.
Different, Smith proved to be. The recent Grainger alum is one of three from Tennessee this year that were drafted right out of high school. Called as the overall No. 95th pick to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s a moment Smith won’t forget, but one he’s still finding the words to describe.
“Honestly I don’t know how to explain it, it happened so fast, family and friends around and all that stuff, it was just crazy, everybody went crazy when it happened and you know just a bunch of hugs and tears from mom and dad and everything so yeah it was a dream come true,” said Smith.
That dream has been inside Smith for quite a while now, “I’ve thought about that since I was a kid, playing whiffle ball in the backyard, pretending I was different MLB players and all that so it’s definitely been a dream since I was a kid.”
If Smith could travel back in time, he doesn’t think his younger self would believe they made that dream come true, but he would have some advice on how to get there, “Keep God first and work really hard.”
Having made his dream a reality is still sinking in.
“No I don’t think it’s settled in yet, I think when I actually get there and sign the papers it will become real,” Smith said.
Smith is set to sign this Wednesday with the Dodgers.
