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Kevin Smith didn't do much for the New York Yankees' major league team. He got into two games as a pinch runner and didn't hit or play an inning in the field. Had the World Series ended differently, that might have been enough for Smith to collect a championship ring.
Smith, 28, was released by the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate at the end of last season, which ended with New York losing a five-game World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Smith went unsigned as a free agent and was still without a major league contract on Monday when he announced his retirement in a post on social media.
"I've been so lucky to be surrounded by amazing people who believed in me, helped me, and pushed me to accomplish the things I've always dreamed of," Smith wrote on Twitter/X. "My family has sacrificed so much to come along on this journey with me. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without the constant support through all the good times and tough times that come with playing this game. I can't wait to be home for dinners, bedtime, and to live in one place the entire year for the first time in over a decade."
To the game I’ve been obsessed with since I was a little kid, it’s been a hell of a ride! I’m so grateful to have played as long as I have and to have such an amazing support system throughout my career. I’m excited for the next chapter, the first one was incredible! pic.twitter.com/h0jTbODvqy
— Kevin Smith (@KJS_4) March 24, 2025
Smith played in 116 major league games with the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland A's, and Yankees, who signed him as a free agent in Jan. 2024. He hit .173 with a .215 on-base percentage and .301 slugging percentage, collecting eight home runs and 25 RBIs — mostly for Oakland in 2022-23.
Smith also played in 601 minor league games from 2017-24, slashing .269/.328/.481 while seeing time at six different positions. He also appeared in two games as a pitcher last year for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate. Smith allowed seven hits across 3.2 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
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Smith was born in East Greenbush, NY and grew up watching the Yankees as a child. He wrote on Twitter/X that he remembered sitting in the basement with his father as a 9-year-old, "watching my favorite player, Derek Jeter, and saying out loud for the first time 'Dad, I want to play in the MLB when I grow up.' And I'll never forget my Dad very calmly and confidently saying back to me, 'You will, as long as you put in the work.'"
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About the writer
J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers ... Read more