Lincoln Saltdogs Curt Smith Proving to Be Bigger All-Star Off the Field
When your team is 39-28 and leading its division, it is easy to find great joy in coming to the park to play baseball every day. When your All-Star infielder is a guy who shows up every day with a big smile on his face and makes the atmosphere in the locker room one that it is more like hanging out with your friends than coming to work, then this may be the best place on earth to play the game of baseball. That place has become Lincoln, Nebraska, as infielder Curt Smith has made playing for the Lincoln Saltdogs the greatest job on earth.
Finding Joy on the Diamond Early on
Curt Smith always knew that he had a future in baseball. He loved the sport, not only because of the great joy it brought him to play, but also because of the tradition it had become in his family. Growing up in Willemstad, Curacao, baseball was as much a part of the spirit of the country as it was a game, and his family fully embraced that spirit.
“I grew up watching my uncles play and they took me to the field since I can remember. I go to watch them play, and when I became old enough I went with them to play. We had a baseball family. All my uncles played and my cousins; all my family played baseball, so I just wanted to play as well. When I was at a certain level they put me on a club and that’s how I got started.”
Almost immediately after taking up the sport, Curt performed at a very high level. He made the Curacao National Team and played against teams from all over the world. It was in these competitions that he recognized that he had what it took to become a professional ball player one day.
“When I was younger I made the national team and when we played other countries you see the talent there and I thought, wow, I can play with these guys. So that’s when the dream started.”
Out of high school, Curt went to the University of Maine at Orono. Curt played quite well in his first two years at the school, but in his junior campaign his career really took off. He hit .351 in 52-games with 46-runs scored and 48-RBI. He had 25-extra base hits, including 8-homeruns and showed a little speed on the base paths, successfully stealing on all nine of his attempts.
In his senior season he really made an impression. Smith hit .403 in 49-games, clubbing 11-homeruns and scoring 60 times. He also became even more selective at the plate, walking 32-times for a .498 on-base percentage. The season included 31-extra base hits.
His success did not go unnoticed. In the 2008 MLB amateur draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Curt in the 39th round. It was something that he thought was possible, but was worried about what would happen to him if he did not get chosen.
“I was drafted by the Cardinals in 2008. I was nervous, to be honest, thinking what am I going to do if I don’t get drafted. So you start thinking about life after baseball. So I didn’t want to watch. But I received a phone call and it change from there.”
Growing and Maturing in Professional Baseball
Curt Smith signed after the draft and was sent to Johnson City in the Appalachian League to begin his professional career. In the rookie league he was scorching the ball, hitting .378 in 47-games with 8-homers and 49-RBI. That earned him a promotion with a couple of weeks left in the season, as he was moved to Mid-A Quad Cities for the final 11-games. There he hit .244 with 10-RBI.
In 2009, Curt was moved to High-A Palm Beach in the Florida State League. He had a very productive season there, hitting .289 in 118-games with 12-homeruns and 65-RBI. With about a month left in the season he was moved to AA-Springfield where he really stepped up his game, hitting .308 with 2-homers and 9-RBI in 24-games. As he progressed he was really adding plate discipline and showing that he was never satisfied with his level of play.
“I learned the discipline that you have to learn. They taught us to work out on your own. To take responsibility for your own career. My college coach (Steven Trimper) did a great job of preparing me in college, so once I transferred to professional baseball I had a work ethic already that helped me a lot.”
Curt also understood that the talent level had changed greatly since his days in college, and if he was going to be successful there was going to have to be a greater commitment to his craft.
“You know the talent is the best of the best once you get drafted. Every person who got drafted was for a reason. The length of schedule, the first couple of years you have to adjust to that. You have to work out a little extra in the off-season, getting your body ready for a long season.”
The next season he remained at Springfield and put up solid numbers. He hit .279 with 9-homers and 46-RBI in 84-games, but the Cardinals decided to let the then 24-year-old go. Out of the St. Louis organization and not finding any takers in affiliate ball, Curt turned to Lincoln, NE as his way of getting his career back on track.
Finding Great Success in Independent Baseball
Looking for a chance to prove he still had what it took, Curt Smith signed with the Lincoln Saltdogs for the 2011 American Association season. He played in 78-games that year, hitting an impressive .335 with 9-homers and 48-RBI.
The numbers were impressive and the then Florida Marlins purchased his contract and he was sent to AA-Jacksonville for the 2012 season. He played in 96-games and had another solid year, hitting .261 with 9-HR and 48-RBI.
At the end of the 2012 season, he opted for free agency and signed with the Minnesota Twins organization. He was sent to AA-New Britain where he hit .231 in 45-games. On Independence Day he was released, which was an incredible irony as he opted to return to independent baseball and the Lincoln Saltdogs.
Returning to Lincoln was an absolute no-brainer. He had always loved the team and the city, and found that this was the perfect place to land.
“The Lincoln Saltdogs gave me the opportunity to play when I was first released by the Cardinals and I had a great time here. They treat us right, the fans are amazing. I was picked up here before, so I thought it made sense to return to Lincoln again, and so that is why I came back here. I also met my wife here and now I live in Lincoln.”
Finding his beloved wife was not the only successful thing that occurred upon his return. In 2013 he played in 49-games for Lincoln, hitting .316 with 27-runs scored and 27-driven in.
It was a great campaign and, once again, the Cardinals reached out and brought Curt back to their organization. He spent all of the 2014 season in Springfield, where he hit .262 with 11-homeruns and 52-runs driven in.
At the end of the season he left the organization and returned to Lincoln. It was clear he was not going to advance much further than AA in the Cardinals organization and wanted to a chance to make a greater contribution. Being a Saltdog clearly gave him that opportunity.
Curt appeared in 87-games last season where he hit .294 with 53-runs scored and 61-runs driven in. He clubbed 12-homers and had 22-doubles, a career high for a season.
This season he may be having his best year yet. Named to the American Association All-Star team, Smith has hit .340 this season in 49-games with 11-homeruns already. His power production earned him a spot in the homerun derby. It is an honor that he is fully cherishing.
“It’s an honor. It’s fun. I just love that I’m going to get to be around great players and get to pick their minds. I’m looking forward to learning new things from these guys.”
An All-Star Character
It is this comment that is the true epitome of what kind of guy Curt Smith is. Most players will talk about how this is a great honor and a chance to showcase their talent by playing with the league’s best. For Curt, this is a chance to learn from those who are in the elite class; a chance to improve his own skill set. He never stops trying to improve his craft and strives to get better each day.
“This is a game you have to make a lot of adjustments in and you simply cannot stop learning. While you don’t want to get away from what makes you successful, you have to see what others are doing and if that works then you may have to try it to keep yourself at the top of your game.”
He openly admits that his approach has not always worked. There has been plenty of times when he has struggled at the plate, but it is the mental part of the game that has made him so successful. He has remained true to the player that he is and has put his confidence in his own skill set. An approach that has led him to have great success.
“You got to put your work in and you got to trust yourself especially me and other veterans who have played for a while. You know what it takes to be successful. You have to stay consistent and stick with it because you know that it will eventually work. It will come around, because that is how baseball works.
He also recognizes the pitfalls that many players fall into.
“A lot of people try to change something but why do that if you’re hitting the ball right. You know you practice your whole life to hit the ball right, to hit line drives, and if you’re hitting line drives and they’re getting caught then just stick with it, because eventually they’re going to fall in. You have to stick to your approach, if you’re hitting the ball stick to it and eventually it will come around.”
Being successful is what Curt Smith has done, and he feels that it is part of his duty now as a veteran to help the younger players to get the same opportunities he has had. He admits that he made some mistakes along the way and wants to teach his younger teammates from the lessons he has learned.
“You just try to tell them mostly about the mental part of the game. A lot of them come out of college and they have a lot of talent. It is just trying to help them to understand the game, to know situations, to know how to perform in certain situations, because they are trying to learn mentally how to become a better baseball player.”
While there is a lot of knowledge to share, what really separates the Lincoln star from most is the positive energy that is around him. You can tell that he is having a lot of fun out there, whether it is lifting weights, shagging fly balls, or running out a ground ball. His attitude about the game is infectious and is the most endearing characteristic about him of all.
“I just try to have a positive attitude all the time. Winning or losing, you just have to let the guys know it’s okay. There’s another game tomorrow. I understand that it’s not fun to lose but it happens. Other guys put their head down and it ruins their whole day. Yeah, it’s no fun, but you have to look forward to the next day. You have to prepare yourself for the next game.”
He adds: “We’re playing baseball for a living, so how can you not be happy. Just try to stay as happy as possible and just let that rub off on the other guys. This should be fun.”
Working Hard to Get Where He Is At
There are few you will find in the game who work harder than Curt Smith. He prides himself on his work ethic, something that is one of the biggest reasons why he has been so successful on the diamond.
“I pride myself on that (his work ethic). I know baseball is my job so I work pretty hard in the off-season, so when the season starts it’s not a time where I start to think, ‘Oh I have to start working on this.’ I try to do as much as I can in the off-season and when the season comes I come prepared.”
All that hard work can be frustrating, especially when you don’t get the results that you want. Curt works harder than virtually anyone but has not always reached the level he desired. However, he has remained committed and that smile has shown forth every day, something he credits to the greatest inspiration in his life.
“My mom definitely. She has been there for me since the beginning and still is. I talked to her all the time, even when things are good, bad, she is the one I go to. She never lets me get down. She is my biggest inspiration.”
At 29-years-old, it is hard to tell if Curt Smith will get another chance in affiliate ball. A lot of clubs will probably think that he has had his chances and did not succeed. That is as far from the truth as it can get. Maybe he did not reach the Major Leagues, but if one defines success by being the kind of man that others try to pattern their own life after then Curt Smith is the greatest success of all. He is a man that has proven that no matter what happens on the diamond he is one of life’s greatest All-Stars.
Featured Image Courtesy of ROD ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY
By Robert Pannier
Member of the IBWAA
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