{"id":21766,"date":"2024-03-28T18:08:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-cyclones-dandre-smith-breakout-bound-with-rehab-in-rearview\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:35","slug":"brooklyn-cyclones-dandre-smith-breakout-bound-with-rehab-in-rearview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-cyclones-dandre-smith-breakout-bound-with-rehab-in-rearview\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Cyclones’ D\u2019Andre Smith: Breakout Bound With Rehab in Rearview"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an injury-plagued start to 2023, Smith is healthy and excited for what 2024 will bring<\/h3>\n

by <\/span>Justin Rocke<\/em> for Brooklyn Cyclones<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

At the start of his first full professional season in 2023, D’Andre Smith’s plans went awry.<\/p>\n

After helping Single-A St. Lucie win a Florida State League championship after being drafted, the 2022 fifth-round selection missed the first two months of the season with a nagging back injury. However, Smith feels much different physically with the 2024 season on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cBody is in a great spot, I feel pretty much at 100% every day,\u201d said Smith about how he feels during Spring Training. \u201cI\u2019m stepping out on the field and [my] legs feel good\u2026my back was a big problem for me last year, but that feels really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following his injury-shortened season on Coney Island, Smith went out west to represent the New York Mets in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. After a slow start, the former USC Trojan posted a .323 batting average (10-31) with four extra-base hits, a home run, five RBI, and a .860 OPS over his final nine games for the Glendale Desert Dogs.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cYou look up in the crowd and there\u2019s probably 40-50 people there, but you know, you\u2019ve got all these top prospects, the talent\u2019s really good, so the pressure is taken off your back,\u201d said Smith about playing in the post-season circuit. \u201cI think for me, it was not getting consumed with results and, I think, that\u2019s really helped me grow into how I\u2019ve been going about things during camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

After relieving himself of internal pressures and concentrating on slowing down his internal clock, the Diamond Bar, Calif. resident believes he has discovered a way to perform at his best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just kind of exhausted and it just slipped my mind, like, me being overly consumed by results to where I was like, \u2018You know, I\u2019m exhausted, I\u2019m tired, I\u2019m just going to give it what I have the rest of these three-four weeks,\u201d explained Smith about his mindset. \u201cThe more I stopped putting that pressure on myself, the better I played.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the other highlights of Smith\u2019s burgeoning career has been the opportunity to play with one of his college teammates. D’Andre joined an organization with familiar faces, including fellow University of Southern California alum and outfielder Rhylan Thomas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really think it was a possibility,\u201d said Smith about possibly playing with Thomas. \u201cIt\u2019s been really cool from day one, we were there for each other. Being drafted by the Mets was pretty cool because I didn\u2019t go into an org where I didn\u2019t know anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew Kevin [Kendall] very well from both growing up in SoCal and we played on the Area Code team together,\u201d continued Smith. \u201cKnew Rhylan [Thomas]. I knew Jacob [Reimer]. I went to the [MLB Draft] combine with Chase [Estep]. There were a lot of guys who were in that draft class, where at some point or another, we had come across each other.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Despite the literal bumps and bruises, the memorable moments for the 22-year-old in 2023 were bountiful. When looking back on his time with the Cyclones in Coney Island, what stood out the most was his effort to give back to the Brooklyn community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s a long season, but you know, to take an hour or so out of your day to make a kid\u2019s day, isn\u2019t too bad,\u201d recalled Smith about working the Cyclones’ youth baseball camps. \u201cYou don\u2019t know if it\u2019s that kid\u2019s first time and last time ever seeing you play\u2026You just want to be appreciative that you\u2019re in the spot you\u2019re in and can give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving back to the Brooklyn community wasn\u2019t the only highlight of D\u2019Andre\u2019s summer. The infielder relished the opportunity to live across the country for the first time, even if the fast-paced nature of New York City took some time to get used to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really fast for me, and it seemed just like the movies the first time [I was] in New York\u2026you know, just a lot going on at once,\u201d exclaimed Smith with a chuckle. \u201cI really loved getting into the city during off days. I loved Brooklyn and Coney Island; we would tend to walk around there a lot after games, just walk around that community and get outside\u2026it\u2019s a pretty exciting place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experiencing the Coney Island scenery off the field and the opportunity to play in a ballpark with picturesque sightlines and capacity crowds hanging on every pitch helped fuel his fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s electric, that atmosphere is amazing,\u201d said Smith about playing at Maimonides Park. \u201cIt could be tough to some guys to play there because there is a lot going on, but I think that\u2019s what makes the place so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look in right field and you see the water\u2026left field, they\u2019ve got the little concerts going on behind the wall, center field, now you see the amusement rides,\u201d Smith continued. \u201cThere are some really hardcore Cyclone fans that, I don\u2019t think, miss a game\u2026you build relationships with those fans, but I think that the atmosphere was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Fully healthy entering the 2024 season, Smith plans not only to keep it that way as he enters his second full professional campaign, but to enjoy every moment while doing it.<\/p>\n

“I think a huge thing for me was just to have fun and you know, enjoy every moment and the experience of being a professional baseball player,” stated Smith. “I’m very blessed to be in this situation. I’m just looking forward to getting a full season this year…play every day and, you know, see what that’s like to go through a full season this year.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After an injury-plagued start to 2023, Smith is healthy and excited for what 2024 will bring by Justin Rocke for Brooklyn Cyclones At the start of his first full professional season in 2023, D’Andre Smith’s plans went awry. After helping Single-A St. Lucie win a Florida State League championship after being drafted, the 2022 fifth-round […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5893,"featured_media":21767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nBrooklyn Cyclones’ D\u2019Andre Smith: Breakout Bound With Rehab in Rearview - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/brooklyn-cyclones-dandre-smith-breakout-bound-with-rehab-in-rearview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brooklyn Cyclones’ D\u2019Andre Smith: Breakout Bound With Rehab in Rearview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After an injury-plagued start to 2023, Smith is healthy and excited for what 2024 will bring by Justin Rocke for Brooklyn Cyclones At the start of his first full professional season in 2023, D’Andre Smith’s plans went awry. 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