As a fifth-year senior, Kansas University pitcher Pete Smart didn’t have to wait around for the June amateur baseball draft to see if he had a future in pro ball.
So Smart, a 6-foot-7 lefty, signed with Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday and will report to their Class-A affiliate in Beloit, Wis., on Monday.
See the 6Sports report on the story.
“I could have waited for the draft, but it was far more advantageous to sign early,” Smart said Friday, “financially and from the standpoint you get to get out and get established before the draft guys come. I considered waiting, but there’s a big risk involved with that.”
In Smart’s case, the risk was that he might not get drafted at all, or that he might get drafted by a team that didn’t especially need southpaws.
The Brewers fit the latter criteria well.
“I had four or five offers,” Smart said, “but I had known the (Brewers) scout for a while, and I had a lot of faith in him. But the biggest thing was, they have seven left-handers in their minor league organization. Doing a little research, I found most teams had 13 or 14, so there are a lot of opportunities for me there.”
Smart had several opportunities for the Jayhawks the past four years. He had a career record of 20-17 and holds the school records for starts (17, set last season) and single-season innings pitched (115 1/3).
This past season, Smart was 9-4 with a career-best 3.20 earned run average.
“I don’t know I was relieved because I expected to sign,” Smart said. “I’m happy. It’s kind of a childhood dream to get to go play baseball and get paid to do it.”
