Josh Smith has been named a Major League Baseball Silver Slugger.
The former LSU infielder and Texas Rangers star received the Silver Slugger Award as the American League utility player, seeing action during the season at third base, at shortstop, and as an outfielder.
Smith batted .258 this season with 30 doubles, 13 home runs, 62 RBI, 67 runs, and 11 stolen bases in 149 games.
The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of MLB.
The Baton Rouge native was selected in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, and he was traded in July 2021 to Texas, earning a World Series ring in 2023 when the Rangers claimed their first title.
Smith played for LSU from 2017 to 2019 and was the Tigers’ starting shortstop in 2019 after missing most of the 2018 season with a stress reaction in his vertebrae. He was the starting third baseman for LSU’s 2017 College World Series runners-up team, earning Freshman All-America and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
Smith was LSU’s leading hitter in 2019, batting .346 with 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 41 RBI, 72 runs and 20 steals in 24 attempts.
LSU now has five Silver Slugger Award winners in its baseball history.
Former Tiger outfielder Albert Belle won the American League award five times (1993-96, Cleveland; 1998, Chicago White Sox); Aaron Hill was the AL winner at second base in 2009 (Toronto); third baseman Alex Bregman was an AL recipient in 2019 (Houston); and second baseman DJ LeMahieu has been named a Silver Slugger Award winner on two occasions (2019-20, New York Yankees).