Former Yankees Prospect Sends Warning to Current Players

Former New York Yankees infielder Josh Smith has a big piece of advice for prospects going through the team's farm system: Don't get too comfortable.

In an interview with the New York Post this week, Smith said he expected to be traded to another team when he was performing well in the minors.

“I kind of always figured I would get traded out of there, to be honest with you,” Smith said. "I just figured if I played well enough, I’d get traded."

And traded, he was, despite quickly ascending through the minors. Smith was ranked as the 14th best Yankees prospect in 2021, the year he got traded to the Texas Rangers. The Yankees sent Smith to Texas along with three other prospects in exchange for Joey Gallo.

Gallo wouldn't work out with the Yankees, who would keep him until midway through the 2022 season, when they sent him across the country to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, Gallo has bounced from team to team and announced recently that he'll be pivoting from playing infield to pitching after release from a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.

In contrast, the trade worked out exceptionally well for Smith, who went on to win the World Series with the Rangers in 2022 and is currently boasting the best batting average of his career at .284. However, it can't be all fun and games, as the Yankees have thoroughly walloped the Rangers in this weeks' series, with back-to-back wins. The series concludes Thursday afternoon from Yankee Stadium.

Despite having seen the trade from a mile away, Smith said he valued his time with the Yankees and is grateful for the opportunity to be with his current team.

“I loved my time with the Yankees,” Smith said. “I kind of just saw myself not really moving up very fast with them. And I got traded here, and it worked out perfectly.” 

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