John “John John” Smith III was born in Apollo Beach, Florida and attended Lennard High School in close by Ruskin. He lettered twice and hit a cumulative .397/.638/.603, electing to attend Pensacola State College after graduating in 2022. In his freshman yr, the outfielder performed in all 48 Pirates video games, hitting .382/.384/.497 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 8 dwelling runs, 18 stolen bases in 20 makes an attempt, and drew 20 walks to 38 strikeouts. His sophomore season was comparable, as he as soon as once more performed in all 48 video games the Pirates performed. He hit a team-leading .382/.452/.688, with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 12 dwelling runs, 9 stolen bases in 12 makes an attempt, and drew 19 walks to 17 strikeouts. In each years, he performed for the Winter Garden Squeeze of the Florida Collegiate Summer League.
In 2025, his junior yr, he transferred to the University of South Alabama, making the soar from NJCAA Division I baseball to NCAA Division I baseball. The right-hander acclimated himself exceptionally properly to the Sun Belt Conference, beginning all 49 video games, 23 in proper and 26 because the Jaguars designated hitter. Smith led the workforce in hits and batted .314/.412/.466 with 8 doubles, 7 dwelling runs, 2 stolen bases in 6 makes an attempt, and drew 30 walks to 46 strikeouts, good for a 111 wRC+. Despite strong numbers, now at a NCAA Division I program, Smith went undrafted within the 2025 MLB Draft.
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That summer time, Smith performed for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the place he appeared in 9 video games and logged 1 hit in 18 at-bats, stealing 1 base, drawing 1 stroll, and putting out 10 occasions. He additionally entered the NCAA switch portal that summer time and transferred to the University of Central Florida for his senior yr. The outfielder began all however two of the Knights’ video games and appeared in all 49, hitting .322/.383/.574 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 12 dwelling runs, 2 stolen bases in 4 makes an attempt, and drew 17 walks to 31 strikeouts, good for a 119 wRC+. His batting common, slugging proportion, double whole, and residential run totaled second on the workforce.
The 22-year-old Smith is listed at 6’1”, 200-pounds, carrying his mass in his legs and midsection. At the plate, he stands barely open, crouching a bit together with his arms held excessive, wrapping his bat behind his head nearly parallel to the bottom. He swings with minimal load and weight switch, utilizing a toe faucet as a timing mechanism. He has a long-levered swing, and due to his pure power in addition to the torque in his swing, he can punish baseballs when he barrels them, registering exit velocities over 100 MPH in 2026. Among 2026 faculty hitters, Smith stands out concerning lifting and pulling the ball. His strikeout numbers don’t essentially replicate it, however the right-hander is aggressive on the plate, chasing balls down-and-away and increasing the zone. That stated, he has sufficient plate protection to cowl all 4 quadrants of the strike zone and punish errors.
Defensively, he has performed all three outfield positions over the course of his four-year collegiate profession. He is finest suited in left area, particularly towards skilled competitors, as his foot velocity and arm is fringe-average at finest. He doesn’t have a fast first step and takes some time to hit his full working stride.