When he came to Danville as a new high school graduate in 2016, it became obvious that Josh Smith had the potential to make his mark in professional baseball. That likelihood came to fruition on Monday when Smith was the starting third baseman for the Texas Rangers, getting a single during his first at-bat.

Smith was drafted as a high school senior in the 38th Round while he was with the Dans in 2016 but chose to honor his commitment to attend LSU. He was then selected in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. Smith was part of a 2021 trade that sent him to the Rangers organization. He was hitting .273 in 40 games with Triple-A Round Rock this season before getting the call for Monday night’s game.

Smith was one of six 2016 Dans named to the mid-season All-Star Game in the Prospect League. He becomes the 32nd Danville Dan to put on a major league uniform – including the fourth that have been coached by current Dans manager Eric Coleman.