Blue Jays turning 23-year old into a 2-way player who can hit and pitch
Toronto is going with a fascinating experiment.
Blue Jays turning 23-year old into a 2-way player who can hit and pitch originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Toronto Blue Jays might not have signed Shohei Ohtani when he was a free agent before he landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers .
But they're seeking to have their own two-way player in the future. The candidate's name is Austin Smith, and the minor league outfielder made his first professional pitching appearance on Thursday at Single-A Dunedin. The @BlueJays now have their own two-way prospect!
LHP/OF Austin Smith is slated to make his debut on the mound today in St. Lucie! "I take what I can do as something special and I'm super excited to go out and do it today.
" pic. twitter. com/WZ0WRJvrn4 ā Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) April 9, 2026 MORE: Aaron Judge's case as the greatest right-handed hitter of all time This isn't a random move.