03/20/2016 - College PREP - Goshen, KY
****7/13/2016 Ryan has been seen by several scouts over the summer throwing 87-89 and touching 90.**** Ryan continues to show a promising future on the diamond. In the MIF, defensive abilities are outstanding, displaying smooth/fluid actions. He moves well laterally, displaying range in the MIF. Glove action is soft/sure as he presents well out front. Hands/feet work well together through the fielding process as he gets rid of the baseball quickly with life/carry/accuracy on his throws. At the plate, he continues to shine through an athletic setup. Hands are quick (83 mph exit velocity) and work to and through a level swing path, creating extension. He works to stay inside the ball and shows a feel for the barrel, displaying gap to gap pop. On the mound, fastball showed in the mid 80 range with solid arm side run. He maintains arm speed on his changeup, showing a feel for with sinking action. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with late break. He attacks hitters showing plus control as he throws strikes with all his pitches. Ryan has the makings of a special type player and will get looks from the collegiate coaches with his baseball abilities, possibly as a two-way guy.
10/14/2015 - Arizona Junior Fall Classic
Ryan is a ball player, as simply as you can put it. Time and time again, Ryan has shown at a Baseball Factory event his natural ability to play the game, and compete at a high level. Defensively as a SS, he is fluid to make plays and has a sure glove that seems to vacuum the baseball up into a clean arm circle that carries the ball to his targets. He has plus plus instincts, anticipating balls off the bat and getting his body into position to make plays. He lays out for the ball right and left and will only see improvements to his range as he quickens his feet over the next year. Offensively, he is rhythmic in his actions, arriving on-time, and delivering the barrel on a direct path to and through the zone. He steps in the box with a look of comfort and will continue to see an upward trend of growth with increased lower half use - staying between his knees. On the mound, his future is also bright, throwing a FB, 11/5 CB, and CH all around the zone. He repeats well and pitched down in the zone. Overall - Ryan's progress continues to show and his aptitude paired with natural ability makes this guys ceiling extremely high.
06/29/2015 - National Tryout Plus - Amelia (Cincinnati), OH
Ryan continues to shine on the diamond. This versatile athlete can make things happen in many facets of the game. On the mound, this righty has an effective 3-pitch mix as he pounds the zone with strikes. FB now tops out at 85 mph as it has late run and will give hitters a tough time squaring it up. Breaking ball has good action, complimenting his FB well. Defensively at SS, Ryan has active footwork and moves well on the balls of his feet. He has a clean exchange with strong/accurate throws across the diamond. With the bat, this righty has a balanced setup with patience. Barrel delivery is quick to and through the zone as he connects with pop, driving the ball to all parts of he field. Smith is a talented player who has a ton of upside.
01/16/2015 - Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Smith continues to show as a SS/RHP at the event. In the MIF, defensive grades have improved showing near a pro level. He moves well laterally, displaying range and shows soft/sure hands. Feet/hands work well through his fielding actions, displaying smooth/fluid actions. Athletic abilities are shown off in his feeds/turn of the double play and has big play potential in the MIF. At the plate, he has improved his hitting grades, now showing as well above average hitting abilities through an athletic setup. Hands are quick, generating plus bat speed through a level swing path. He shows a feel for the barrel and makes consistent contact, mainly to the pull side. Hitting grade will continue to improve as he works to keep hands inside the ball to utilize all fields. At the event, he was 4 for 11 with a 2B. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 80-82 mph with arm side run and he pounded the zone with a lot of strikes.
09/17/2014 - Under Armour Fall Classic, powered by Baseball Factory's Team One
In Ryan's latest outing with Baseball Factory he showed again that he has the potential to be a 2-way player at the next level. Defensively, he has soft hands and takes proper angles to the baseball. He does a great job of communicating. Ryan has a good presence on the field which should allow him to develop into a good leader. He will continue to develop defensively as his foot speed improves. Offensively, he gets his barrel in a good loaded position with a level bat path. His level bat path allows his barrel to stay in the zone longer. He has a tendency to hip slide towards the plate some which allows his front foot to leak open. This will improve as he drives off his backside more. On the mound, Ryan was max effort and displayed a three pitch mix. Ryan located and mixed pitches well to both sides of the plate. He threw an above average CH that had good depth to it. His stock on the mound will continue to grow as he develops more arm speed and velocity.
06/30/2014 - College PREP - Amelia (Cincinnati), OH
Ryan is a 2017 two-way player, RHP/SS with good ability on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he worked to a good fielding position and was sure handed. He had a good exchange and quick arm to throw with some carry and accuracy. Staying more fluid with the glove and body, eliminating stabbing at the ball, will increase fielding percentage. Offensively, he was direct with the barrel and had strength at contact. He got extended and used his lower half well. Staying compact and staying strong with his hands will increase hard contact frequency. On the mound, he threw three pitches from the high 3/4 arm slot. He topped out at 83 with his fastball, spun a 10/4 CB at 69-72 and mixed in a CH at 69-71. Mechanically, he is quite sound and has clean arm action with front side extension. All in all - Ryan is an intriguing prospect that has another three seasons to add strength and consistency in preparation for next level play.