Boston Smith Caught Kade Anderson on the Farm and Aspires To Mash as a Mariner

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Boston Smith emerged as a prospect to watch this year. Notably, he did so while spending the latter portion of the campaign with his third organization in just his second professional season. Selected in the sixth round of the 2025 draft out of Wright State University by the Washington Nationals, Smith was subsequently swapped to the White Sox the following March in exchange for Curtis Mead, then dealt from Chicago to Seattle at this summer’s trade deadline. The Mariners acquired the 23-year-old left-handed-hitting catcher, along with Seranthony Domínguez and Nolan Jones, in exchange for Luis Castillo. Smith’s 2026 performance was quite promising. Playing at three levels, primarily High-A and Double-A — he also appeared in eight games in Low-A — Smith slammed 31 home runs while slashing .274/.424/.566 with a 158 wRC+ over 493 plate appearances. Unranked when our White Sox Top Prospects list came out prior to the season, he is now ranked 13th in the Mariners system with a 40 FV. In our Arizona Fall League preview — Smith is currently suiting up for the Peoria Javelinas — Eric Longenhagen described the Dayton, Ohio native as “a pull-oriented catcher” who “isn’t a good defender yet.” Our lead prospect analyst also offered an interesting comp, pointing to how “that had been true for Liam Hicks, who as a prospect was likewise “a small school, undersized guy who had outlier pull data.” Smith discussed his player profile, as well as what it was like to catch one of baseball’s top pitching prospects upon joining a new organization, during the first week of the AFL season. ——— David Laurila: You caught Kade Anderson almost immediately after coming over in the trade. What was that experience like? Boston Smith: “I don’t get too nervous anymore, but I was very nervous to catch him. I obviously knew who he was through college, he was the third-overall pick [in 2025], and then there was the year he was having. So yeah, I was nervous. I wanted to be trustworthy and help him succeed, not be catching him for the first time and having no idea what to do if all of a sudden he started struggling.” Laurila: That didn’t happen. Looking at the game log, he pitched very well. Smith: “Yes, and he was by far one of the most mature human beings I’ve ever been around. He was very generous, very helpful, helping me be calm before the game. He even brought me waters. Then, after the outing, the next day, talking about it. “When he got the call to The Show — I had only known him for two weeks — he hugged me and said, ‘Hey man, thanks for everything you did for me,’ You just don’t see human beings like that too often, especially ones who are so talented. He’s a big league human being as well as a big league pitcher. It was really, really special to me to be able to catch him and know that I was a part of his minor league career for that little bit.” Laurila: Those qualities aside, what was it like to he behind the plate for him? Have you ever caught anyone who approximates his combination of moxie and stuff? Smith: “I would say it was one of the coolest combinations of him knowing himself and having one of the most competitive mindsets. He had this fire in him. It was cool, because most of the time he knew exactly what he wanted to do. I just had to lay down whatever finger he wanted, and I trusted him. Man, just his ability to know himself and to pitch to his strengths all the time was really cool.” Laurila: Was he calling his own pitches? Smith: “No. He would shake, obviously, like most pitchers will. There were probably times where he pre-gripped changeup and would just wait until I gave him the four, then would throw a changeup. But no, he trusted me. Kade told me that right away. He said, ‘I trust what you call and I’m going to throw it with conviction.’ He did a really nice job with that.” Laurila: You have a lot of catching experience, but have also spent time as both an infielder and an outfielder. What are the plans going forward? Smith: “Right now I would say that 95% of my chips are going in on catching. While I’m still a minor leaguer, while I’m still developing, the Mariners are doing a really nice job of working with me every day, including having me learn another staff, and also getting here to catch more innings. I think that is what they would like: developing my defensive tools behind the plate. But it hasn’t been direct. There is still the opportunity for me to play left field or right field, or maybe second base. Versatility is always going to be in my back pocket, something that is part of my game.” Laurila: Your bat is your carrying tool. Do you consider yourself a power hitter? Smith: “No. I try not to.” Laurila: You did hit 31 bombs this year… Smith: “God is good. God is very good. But in my cage work it’s backside line drives all day. I don’t ever try to pull the ball for a home run in BP. Maybe I will give myself three in a BP round, but my weakness right now is staying on a ball and going backside, being adjustable. I want to see how good I can be with my bat-to-ball skills and being a pure hitter. I want the home runs be a product of the pitchers’ mistakes.” Laurila: A report I read said that you have good pull-side power… Smith: “I’ve always been able to pull the ball in the air for power. That’s a talent God blessed me with. But again, my weakness is being able to go backside and staying adjustable to multiple pitches. Working the counts and being adjustable is something I work on every single day.” Laurila: Changing direction a bit, what has it been like to not only get traded twice, but to be dealt for players who possess good MLB résumés? Smith: “The first one was the weirdest, because I was with the Nationals for such a short period of time. And to go one-for-one with Curtis Mead was very surprising. Being a part of the Castillo trade was certainly… I mean, I grew up watching him with the Reds. I’m an Ohio guy, so it was quite a moment to be part of a trade involving someone like him. “Even so, at the end of the day, the game stays the same. I just like to go out there and have fun. It’s a great group here [in the Arizona Fall League], and this is almost like being traded again. I’m learning a brand new pitching staff, a new team, so it’s not unfamiliar to me. I’m just going out there and putting a smile on my face, being a good teammate and hopefully somebody that my teammates want to play with.”