Aug. 21—FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jordan Smith's professional baseball career has been all over the map.
The 2009 Willmar High School grad and ninth-round pick in 2011 by the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) had stints in Ohio, North Carolina and Arizona. There were even stints in the Dominican Winter League and independent ball in St. Paul and Sioux Falls.
"All I know of, like, spring training baseball was going to Arizona for the last 14 seasons," Smith said. The Guardians take part in the Cactus League. Their spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona.
Now, Smith is adjusting to life outside the Guardians' organization. After three seasons of managing the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats — now the Hill City Howlers — Smith is in his first season as manager of the
. They are the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and play at Hammond Stadium, the Twins' spring training facility.
Smith has traded cacti for grapefruits. And Jordan, his wife Ashley (Bach) Smith, a fellow 2009 WHS grad, and their children Talon and Laney have enjoyed their first summer in southwest Florida.
"This was my first spring training in Florida, but we've really enjoyed it," Smith said. "We also get the season in Florida. It's been a good double-dip.
Jordan added, "Virginia (where Lynchburg is located) had its beauty, don't get me wrong, but we love the beach, we love the league and the travel is awesome. It's been a really good league for the family and we're really enjoying being part of the Twins' org."
The palm trees around the stadium and pillared exterior inspired by the Churchill Downs race track gives Hammond Stadium a distinctly southern vibe. The Lee Health Sports Complex also has five practice fields built for both minor- and major-league workouts.
But, there are plenty of reminders of Smith's childhood in Minnesota. The parking rows are named after Minnesota Twins greats like Kirby Puckett, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Kent Hrbek. The team's retired numbers are posted in the outfield. Pennants for the Twins' World Series championships, American League titles and division titles sit above the press box.
"It's cool to be a part of the hometown team," Smith said.
After beating the Clearwater Threshers 10-4 in a Florida State League West Division game on Aug. 13, Smith reflected on how his first season with the Twins has gone.
"Honestly, this season has been a blur as far as how quick it's gone," Smith said. "It's been a true joy. God's opened some really cool doors for us and we're just feeling really blessed to go through the summer. ... There hasn't really been that grind, as crazy as that sounds."
Fort Myers has an overall record of 63-52 this season, sitting behind the Tampa Tarpons (67-49) and Clearwater Threshers (67-49). The Mighty Mussels are also behind Tampa and Clearwater in the second-half standings at 26-24. The Tarpons are a New York Yankees affiliate. The Threshers are part of the Philadelphia Phillies' organization.
Other teams in the Florida State League West Division are the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers), the Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays) and the Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh Pirates). The East Division includes the Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins), Palm Beach Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals), the Daytona Tortugas (Cincinnati Reds) and the Port St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets).
The Smith family has made all the trips around the league this summer. As Jordan put it, "We've made it our little circus."
He added, "This is as tan as (the kids) have ever been and as blond as they've ever been. We love the beach and we love the travel of this league."
Along with the team's success, Smith is focused on developing the future of the Twins at Fort Myers. According to MLB.com, five of the Twins' top 30 prospects are currently playing for the Mighty Mussels. That includes the Nos. 2 and 10 prospects in catchers Vahn Lackey and Carson Tinney. Coming from Georgia Tech, Lackey was drafted third overall in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft. Tinney, a product from the University of Texas, was taken in the second round, 43rd overall.
"I've gotten a lot more text messages (from home) about, 'Hey, what's Lackey like? What's Tinney like? What do you have on those guys," Smith admitted.
He added about the recent draftees, "It's been a lot of fun just working with a couple guys that are extremely talented. They want to be here, they work hard and they had awesome careers. Now it's time for them to prove it in pro ball and see what they're made of."
Also on the Mighty Mussels are right-handed pitcher James Ellwanger (19th), shortstop/third baseman Quentin Young (24th) and outfielder Yovanny Duran (28th).
Along with player development, Smith is also working through constant roster adjustment, especially after the trade deadline passed on Aug. 3.
"It starts with the coaching staff and us wanting to be consistent and showing the players our expectation that we're going to play at a high standard," Smith said. "It's a hard time of year. We're sending guys up, we're releasing guys, we're sending guys down and we have a new team with draft guys. We're trying to just play quality baseball and put a good product out there. It really starts with the coaching staff and our alignment and making sure our messaging is clear and our expectations are clear."
While the Mighty Mussels name implies power, speed has been Fort Myers' calling card. In the Aug. 13 win, the Mighty Mussels set a team record for stolen bases in a season. The team leads the Florida State League with 263 stolen bases heading into Friday. Outfielder Merphy Hernandez leads the team with 42 swipes.
"Our identity has always been forcing the other team to play at our speed and we've done that on the bases," Smith said. "We've really just been doing our homework and putting pressure on them when we're on the bases and that's got us the stolen base record. But it's really just about the players and how we prepare. It's a day-to-day process."
When the season wraps up — the Mighty Mussels end the regular season on Sept. 6 — the Smith family will head back to Willmar. Ashley will be a second-grade teacher at Central Minnesota Christian for the first semester. Jordan hopes to continue his work with the Driven Baseball Academy this fall and winter after being unable to host a summer camp.
"It's God's country, man," Jordan said on coming back to Willmar. "You gotta make it back to God's country in the off-season."
It's been a summer of great change in the Sunshine State for the Smiths. Jordan has liked what he, his coaches and his players have been able to build in a short time at Fort Myers.
"These guys show up ready to go," Smith said. "When they show up at noon, from noon to five o'clock, we win the practice. We practice with intent and whatever happens between the lines at 7 p.m. is just the fruit of that. A lot falls on these guys. We push them and we expect a lot from them. They know the standard and they've done a good job holding that standard."
Leave a Comment