Pitt product Kevan Smith trying to catch on with Tampa Bay Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Kevan Smith took some blindside hits during his days as a quarterback at Seneca Valley and Pitt.

However, no blitzing linebacker or safety ever hit Smith in quite the way Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler did during a phone conversation in November.

Eppler informed Smith the Angels were unlikely to tender the veteran catcher a contract, wishing to avoid a potential salary arbitration hearing.

“He told me I might get traded or I might not be with the team next season,” Smith said. “It was a constructive conversation, and Billy explained his reasoning. Still, I was pretty stunned by it. I thought I was on solid footing there.”

Smith spent the last two months of last season sharing catching duties with Max Stassi. Yet the Angels wanted to move on.

Eppler was unable to find a trade partner, so the Angels allowed Smith to become a free agent Dec. 2. Six weeks later, he signed a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Before MLB suspended spring training because of the coronavirus pandemic, the 31-year-old Smith was competing for the backup catcher’s job behind starter Mike Zunino with incumbent No. 2 man Michael Perez and fellow non-roster invitee Chris Herrmann.

“I really like it here,” Smith said following a Rays’ workout at Charlotte County Stadium before camp stopped. ‘It’s a great clubhouse, a great staff, just a great environment. I think they’re building a solid culture coming off what they did last year.

“It just looked like a really fun team to play for and that played a big influence in my signing here.”

Despite having the lowest payroll in the major leagues, Tampa Bay won 96 games last season. The Rays then beat the Oakland Athletics in the American League wild-card game before losing to the Houston Astros in the full five games in the division series round.

The Rays figure to contend for a playoff spot this season — whenever it may be — and possibly push the heavily favored New York Yankees in the AL East.

Smith said he heard from 12 teams in free agency, though the catching-needy Pittsburgh Pirates weren’t one of them. It was the first time in his career he found himself on the open market.

While it wasn’t an absolute must, Smith was hoping to get closer to home as he and his wife have a 19-month-old son. St. Petersburg is over 1,000 miles from Western Pennsylvania but is at least closer than Anaheim.

“You start looking around and see what’s going to be your best opportunity and what team you’re most comfortable with,” Smith said. “You pick and choose, and it comes down to who’s the most interested. I definitely felt the Rays wanted me to be here. I was disappointed that the Angels let me go but I’m looking at as a blessing in disguise.”

Nevertheless, Smith can’t help but wonder what happened with the Angels,who claimed him off waivers from the Chicago White Sox following the 2018 season. He went on to hit .251 with five home runs in 67 games.

What really confused Smith was that the Angels released starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy on Aug. 8. The move was made to create more playing time for Smith.

The White Sox selected Smith in the seventh round of the 2011 amateur draft. He made his major-league debut in 2016 and spent parts of three seasons in Chicago.

“I felt like every offseason was always a big question mark,” Smith said. “Where was I going to land? What are the White Sox going to do with me? Then after the way I finished last year, I thought I finally had a little security. It didn’t turn out that way, but I’m excited about the opportunity here.”