Smith adjusts quickly from shortstop to 3rd

SEATTLE — The Oakland Athletics traded a two-time Platinum Glove third baseman in Matt Chapman. No expectation existed for his successor to equal that type of defense, yet Kevin Smith is playing more than capably at the position.

Before the A’s series opener Monday in Seattle, Sports Info Solutions ranked Smith as the fourth-best defensive third baseman in the majors this season. Smith’s five total runs saved trailed only Ke’Bryan Hayes, Nolan Arenado and Jace Peterson — all National Leaguers.

The numbers are early but notable. Smith, acquired by the A’s in the deal that sent Chapman to Toronto, is a natural shortstop who logged fewer than 50 games at third base in the minors. His work there began to increase only in the last year. He has started 24 of the A’s first 44 games at third.

“We saw him initially in spring training at third base and he didn’t look as comfortable as at shortstop,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Now, it looks as comfortable as it does at shortstop.”

The move counts minimal distance but multiple aspects. Batted balls reach a third baseman at different angles and often more quickly, requiring sharp reactions.

“Your first instinct has to be aggressive and put yourself in position to field the ball,” said A’s first-base coach Eric Martins, who works with the infielders. “If we’re not aggressive in our first step or pre-pitch setup, the ball’s going to eat us up. We saw that (with Smith) early in spring with a couple of topspin balls that were at him.”

Topspin groundballs can get trickier with each bounce. Martins said he told Smith that “something like 81%” of grounders pulled by righthanded hitters to third baseman are top-spun, and they’ve worked on Smith’s first reaction on whether to charge or play back on grounders.

“At short, it’s more about moving and having better angles, but at third, you only have a split second to make some of those decisions,” Smith said. “The more balls that I see and the more I work with ‘E’ on replicating that, the more I can kind of go into subconscious mode and my body reacts a little better.”

A shortstop will see fewer groundballs that take their first bounce off dirt, Smith said, where a chopper to third “might go dirt-dirt, and that’s the toughest groundball you can get.”

“So, really, just reading that first hop — at short, it was more reading the angle of it and if you had to go right or left. At third, it’s more like where’s that first hop happening,” he said.

Shortstop has its own challenges — ground to cover, longer throws to first base, captaining the infield — and Martins said Smith wields athleticism and good hands that aid his transition. Smith began Monday worth four outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. That was tied for most among MLB third basemen with Peterson.

Smith was also tied for FanGraphs’ top defensive rating for third basemen with Arenado, a nine-time Gold Glove winner. FanGraphs gave Smith five defensive runs saved, third after Hayes and Arenado. Smith had his in 90 fewer innings.

“I think he makes the play, it’s as simple as that,” A’s starter Cole Irvin said. “The best way to put it is he doesn’t need to be flashy, it’s just putting leather on the ball and throwing it across.”