Like so many others, Kyle Smith’s baseball story doesn’t follow a linear path. He stepped away from the game early for basketball, but came back for it his senior year of high school and played well enough to show there was something real there. Even while being only 5'8" and around 115 pounds. What he didn’t know then was that there was a darker reason his body wasn’t responding the way it should. Doctors discovered a non-cancerous tumor on his pituitary gland, which finally explained the years of stalled growth, the inability to add strength, and the physical limitations up to that point in Kyle’s life.
What makes this story compelling isn’t just the diagnosis; it’s what he chose to do after it. Instead of letting that answer become an excuse, he used it as a starting point. He rebuilt his body, reconstructed parts of his game, and bet on himself in an unforgiving baseball world, especially for players without a résumé. This conversation is about more than a comeback. It’s about perseverance, identity, mental health, delayed confidence, and the belief that even if the path is unconventional, it can still be real.
9inningnomad: Hey Kyle, introduce yourself a bit and give us a brief rundown of who you are, then we’ll jump into your story.
Kyle Smith: Yeah, and I appreciate you having me on. I’m super excited to tell you a little bit about my story and kind of my baseball journey up to this point. It’s a bit unorthodox to say the least. My name’s Kyle Smith, I’m 27 and I’m from a little town in southern Illinois called Marissa. Now I live about 20 miles east of St. Louis, over in Edwardsville.
Basically, my baseball journey started like everyone else, as a little kid. My favorite thing to do every summer was just play baseball all day, every day. And so I played up until about sixth grade, where I actually quit baseball entirely. I wanted to focus solely on basketball. I watched my older brother do that, and I watched him accomplish all the things that I wanted to accomplish personally. So, like any little brother, I wanted to follow in his footsteps. So, fortunately, I was able to accomplish a lot of great things at just the high school level.
9inningnomad: You came back to baseball in high school after being away from it for a while. What was that like?
Kyle: I hadn’t played baseball since sixth grade, but I had a bunch of friends, a great coach there in the school system that encouraged me to play my senior year. So I decided to play, it was a great experience. I had a surprisingly good year for someone who was only about 115 pounds when graduation rolled around. So I was extremely undersized.
One of the beauties of being at a small school was you had these other opportunities to come in and play. And I was surrounded by guys who had known me my whole life. I had grown up playing with them, and so they instilled a lot of confidence in me as an athlete in general. But someone who hadn’t played in a while, that was a bit lacking at the time for sure. I had that good year in high school. Again, I was only about 115 pounds, about 5’8”, so the thought of playing in college was basically unheard of.
9: At that point, what made you realize there might really be something there for you as a baseball player?
Kyle Smith: I think for me, my high school coach played in the A’s organization, so he definitely had a great perspective when it came to finding talent. He coached collegiately, coached high school, and basically, about halfway through the season, he sat me down after a game, and I’ll never forget the conversation. He and I work together still to this day.
He basically said, “I played at the professional level,” and he was brutally honest. He said, “You have to work on the swing. Obviously, we’ll have to put on some size, and at 115 pounds, it’s like you weigh as much as the bat pretty much.” But he said defensively, “I played with guys who couldn’t do what you could do defensively.”
For me, I’ve been very fortunate to have a huge support system behind me that’s always encouraged me. But for whatever reason, that just sunk in at that point where I went, okay, maybe I am more capable than I think I am. And then when the season ended that senior year, having not played in six and a half years, I hit over .300, which at high school is not great, but again, I was 115 pounds. I had one error the whole season playing shortstop. It was the first ground ball I had seen since sixth grade. It was a cold day, and I couldn’t feel my hands. I was nervous. And since then, I was perfectly fine after that. And I went, okay, well, maybe there is something a little more here.
9inningnomad: When did you start realizing something bigger was going on physically?
Kyle Smith: I went to SIUE. And after about a year at SIUE, I started experiencing a bunch of weird sort of medical issues. So I went to the doctor, and they discovered that I had a brain tumor, more specifically on my pituitary gland, which, for those that don’t know, is kind of at the base of your brain, controls all of your hormones.
So basically, it had stunted my growth in a sense. It explained why I was extremely tiny, was basically incapable of putting on hardly any muscle, no matter how much I lifted or ate or did any of that stuff. But at that point, we were able to finally get on a treatment plan, get everything taken care of. And I do want to say that it wasn’t cancerous. I’ll never sit here and claim that I’ve suffered as much as anyone else. Mine in relation to that was very mild. But it had its physical setbacks for sure.
9: How old were you when you were diagnosed?
Kyle: I was about 20, about 19, 20, somewhere in there.
9: What did hearing that do to you mentally?
Kyle: I think that was scary. I’ll be brutally honest. It was one of those situations when you hear the word tumor, your mind goes to the most extreme. And for me, I’m someone, and I’m very open and honest about it, I’m someone who struggled with anxiety and depression for a long time. And I think it’s very important to talk, especially as young men, to talk about it.
I’m very fortunate. I have a great group of friends. I have family that’s very supportive. So for me, it was just acknowledging that, yeah, man, this is terrifying for me. The idea of something abnormal growing that close to something that important, it scared me. It caused my anxiety to increase, and it caused issues with my depression.
But for me, it was once I got past that initial shock and was able to kind of be a little more grounded and come back to reality, and to just take a different perspective of, okay, this isn’t just something that’s happened to me, and I should feel bad about it or feel pity. It could be exponentially worse. And for so many people, it is exponentially worse. I was very fortunate that we caught it early, and it hadn’t become cancerous or anything like that.
Even to this day, when I go and get checkups and do blood draws and all that stuff, I have to go to the Simon Cancer Center here in St. Louis, and I’m just constantly reminded that my situation isn’t that bad at all. It pales in comparison to other adults going through it, but other kids, especially. That’s the most heartbreaking thing.
For me, when I’m feeling down about myself or discouraged, especially when it comes to baseball, you can go on a long trip to go to a showcase, and nothing comes out of it, and you feel bad about yourself… It’s always a good reminder that you’re doing fine and life’s not that serious.
9: Why didn’t college baseball happen for you?
Kyle: I didn’t play at all in college. Not a single inning in college. My goal initially, before we realized there was a tumor and everything else kind of held me back a little bit, I had kind of floated the idea of trying to walk on. But it was something that, to be honest with you, I was pretty discouraged from trying to play just because I knew physically I wasn’t capable at that point.
I thought skill-wise, especially defensively, I wouldn’t have an issue, but just physically, the demand of a full collegiate season, especially at somewhere like SIUE, where it’s a D1 school, that’s a lot of strain on the body that at the time just could not have handled it. I could have obviously made it through, but I would not have been able to perform at the level that I needed to.
And I think deep down I knew that. But luckily, that diagnosis came pretty early, so I was able to sort of have a reason behind why I felt so off. So I spent those next few years really focusing more on the fitness side of things as opposed to the sports.
9: What was the biggest physical adjustment once treatment started working?
Kyle: I was very fortunate that we didn’t have to do surgery. Medication was able to take care of it, which was fantastic. But I think the biggest adjustment I had to make was just learning how to operate in a different body, almost. I mean, I've put on 65 pounds since then. I’ve grown multiple inches since then, since it had basically just stunted my puberty.
So it was just adjusting to an entirely different body. A lot more weight on my joints and all that sort of stuff, which anytime you’re lifting and exercising, you have to be very conscious of doing it correctly and being safe. And I felt like I had to be a little extra safe because not only was I going through those significant growth changes, but I wasn’t 16 doing it at the same time. I was 23, 24, 25, up till now. That was probably the hardest thing.
9: What did it take to get back into playing shape?
Kyle: I would say the toughest part was I basically had to reconstruct my entire swing. My whole life growing up, like I said, I was always the smallest kid on the field. So you basically had to use your entire body just to get the bat started and hope you run into something hard enough it gets out of the infield. And in today’s day and age, if you can’t hit the ball hard and drive it to all fields, you just can’t play.
I think the biggest thing was just improving strength and being in the weight room nonstop, and really working on that. I was very fortunate that the glove to me is the most instinctual part of baseball. It’s something that I work on every single day. I’m very much into the mundane. Every day, I had the same routine, working short hops, doing the same thing every single day over and over and over again. So I was very fortunate that the glove really hadn’t lost a step.
It was getting my arm back in shape, too. That’s obviously something that if you’re not throwing a baseball every day, it doesn’t take long for it to go away. But with the increased strength, I noticed a huge increase in just overall arm strength across the field, durability, and endurance. But the biggest thing was just getting in the gym nonstop, focusing on recovery.
9: Mentally, what did you have to rebuild in yourself as a player?
Kyle: I think the biggest thing for me was just instilling the confidence that I could play at that level. Having not played in college at all, there’s a huge gap developmentally there, mentally there, that a lot of kids who do play in college get to take advantage of and get to kind of roll into if they play professionally, just into the next season, sort of thing.
Getting to the baseline was just taking basically a couple of hits to the chin, going to showcases, and having no one look at you and no one care who you are because you showed up without a resume. For me, it was just using that as fuel that one day eventually, it’s going to work. And if for whatever reason it doesn’t, it wasn’t because of a lack of effort.
9: After college, what was the plan before baseball came back into the picture?
Kyle: I graduated college from SIUE with a business entrepreneurship degree. My initial plan coming out of college wasn’t really sports-related. My whole goal was to start a fitness apparel brand. I had basically set up everything. I had all the marketing planned. I had all of the merch ready to go. I was basically ready to sign off on the loan.
9: So what changed? What made you decide to go all-in on baseball again?
Kyle: It was an interesting situation because my brother and I had gone to the gym that day, and it was super nice out, and so he’s like, “Well, let’s go just play some catch. I know you have some gloves in your car.” Which was weird because my brother hated baseball. We grew up playing baseball together, but it sort of phased out of our lives. And like I said, I’d followed in his footsteps that whole time. So I thought it was a bit strange, but we were playing catch and just talking, and like any good brother, he was brutally honest with me and said, “You never shut up about baseball. Why don’t you play again?”
And so I assumed he meant sort of just in a men’s league or locally, which to me, honestly, was not appealing at all. My goal is if I’m going to do something, I want to do it at the highest level possible. Anything below that, there’s nothing wrong with it, but for me, it just doesn’t fit my personality or my approach. Basically, he told me just wait a couple of weeks, don’t take on any money or any extra loans or anything, just think about it, because at this point I’d started to put on muscle. I started to get a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger.
So I listened to him, and after about two and a half to three weeks, I decided that I was going to do everything I could to try to play professional baseball at some level possible.
9: What did that pursuit actually look like once you committed to it?
Kyle: From there, I basically traveled every corner of the country looking for an opportunity, going to tryouts, showcases. But I’m sure, as you know, you’re aware a lot of those, unfortunately, are kind of cash grabs. At that level, they know who they want. They’re looking for the one guy who sticks out, hits the ball 500 feet in batting practice, one of the eight swings you get total. And if you can hit it 500 feet, you might get an invite to spring training.
But that’s not me. My personality and my abilities really align with just making consistent plays. My fielding, my glove, I’d put it up against anybody in the world. And so, sticking out there when you get four ground balls and eight swings didn’t really work out all that well for me.
9: Where has that road taken you so far?
Kyle: I was fortunate to get a call to go play in the Pecos League for a little bit. They had a couple of guys get called to the MLB Draft League. So I got to play a handful of games out there just to finish out the season. For me, it was a good test to see kind of where I stack up, what I need to work on. It was a great experience. I’m super grateful. I was out in Santa Cruz with the Seaweed.
And since then, I’ve gotten a couple of opportunities to play in some Frontier League spring training games and things like that. One was with the Lancaster Sound Breakers, I think, is what they went by last year up in Schaumburg. So it’s a great experience. And now I’m at the point where I just want to play baseball at the highest level possible. And not because of my story or what I’ve went through, but just simply because I’m more than capable of doing it.
9: What’s the biggest strength you gained from everything you’ve gone through?
Kyle: I think the biggest thing was just my perseverance. I’ve always prided myself on my work ethic. I think that comes kind of second nature to me. And the perseverance was huge because mentally I felt like my confidence just has always been sort of through the roof when it came to my capabilities athletically, but my body was finally at the point where I was like, okay, I can actually see this through.
So I think that was the biggest thing, just knowing that the work I put in on the front end of all of this is going to pay off in the end, and just that willingness to not give up on anything. And I think so much of that does just go back to that perspective shift of things could be significantly worse.
9: How important has your support system been in all of this?
Kyle: It’s super important to take advantage of the opportunities that you have. I’ve spent my whole life being very fortunate, watching my parents basically work their tails off just to give us the opportunities to chase our dreams, where they didn’t have that opportunity. For me, I felt like it would be disrespectful to not take advantage of the extra opportunities that they gave me and the ability to pursue this.
When I told my parents this is what I wanted to do, they basically just asked how and what can we do to help. The first tryout showcase thing I went to was in York, Pennsylvania, and we’re in southern Illinois, so it was a 12-hour drive or whatever. My dad, without hesitating, said, “All right, I’m taking the week off work. We’re going to get a car. We’re going to drive all the way up there.” And whatever happens happens, no questions asked. For me, it was proof that not only did they believe in me, but they were willing to put their time and effort and money into it before I could really afford to do it myself, even.
9: Where are you training these days?
Kyle: There’s a couple of facilities. I’d say about 20 minutes from here. One’s called 643 Sports Training. Doug over there, who’s the owner, is a fantastic guy. He’s one where I told him kind of my story and told him, I’m working all the time, but if I can get in before hours, after hours, that would be great. And he was super supportive of it, and basically gave me access to go whenever I wanted. So that was fantastic.
The other one is called the Sports Barn. They just opened a new facility over here in Wood River, which is again about 15 minutes. But that one’s a little tougher to get into because it’s a very popular one. A lot of teams use it in the area. But no, they’re great facilities. I’m very fortunate to have them all within 20 minutes. I’ve spent more than enough time in both of them.
9: What glove and bats are you using right now?
Kyle: Rev OneX. I’ll be honest, I was an Easton person my whole life. If I could find - I don’t even know what the model was - but I used an Easton basically from second grade to sixth grade. It was my favorite glove ever, I lost it, and I could never find it again. But I am a huge fan of anything that’s super light, so the Rev 1X has been my go-to. I would love just a plain black colorway or like the natural leather, but I know that’s not really their thing. So kind of had to make a couple of sacrifices on that end just for the overall feel of it.
For bats, I use Mine Baseball bats. Been a huge fan. They have their natural model that I use for training. It’s super affordable. Doesn’t have any of the flashy paint or crap that you see now. That or a big fan of Warstic. I like either one of those. No issues with either one.
9: What’s your game persona once you get to the field?
Kyle: I feel like I sort of have two different personalities. Outside of the game, I’m very easygoing, very lighthearted, but it’s like the second the game starts, it’s a job, and I’m there to perform, and that’s it. And that I think extends beyond just the game. It’s being there a couple of hours early, doing your prep, doing your recovery, all that stuff that’s necessary.
So it’s interesting how for me it’s always just been the second I arrive at the stadium or the field, whatever it is, it’s just game time. I’m not there to just have fun, although that is a part of it. I think my goal there is to produce at the end of the day, and at a professional level; if you don’t produce, you don’t have a job.
9: What position feels most natural to you, and how comfortable are you moving around the infield?
Kyle: I don’t mind playing second at all. Anything middle infield, I’m happy. Shortstop, I just played that my whole life. That’s the most comfortable I feel, sort of getting to be the quarterback of the infield there. But anything middle infield, I have no issue switching back and forth, just depending on what’s needed.
One of the things that I think is one of my biggest strengths is sort of having that timing mechanism that you need to have as an infielder. Knowing that if I’m playing shortstop, I do have a little less time, so I need to take more aggressive angles at balls. There’s times where I catch one deep in the hole, you've got to one-hop it across. Where at second base, unless the ball is totally back up the middle, that I have to really come across my body, I do have more time, and I can take more generous angles to balls.
So it’s one of those things where I have to be cognizant of that. But also just knowing the lineup’s important too. Knowing who you’re playing against, where you need to position yourself, all those things is, I think, as a middle infielder, you should know kind of where even your teammates are at, where they need to be positioned as well.
9: If you could choose your spot in the lineup, what would fit you best?
Kyle: At this point, wherever. I just want to play. That’s the biggest thing. Ideally, I think I excel at getting to obviously play shortstop and bat towards the top of the lineup, whether that’s first, second, fourth, fifth, whatever it may be. I think I’d be able to excel and accept any role that’s given to me. But at the end of the day, I just want to play. That’s just that simple.
9: What’s one of your favorite baseball memories?
Kyle: I have two. Can I give you two?
So the first one is the first Cardinals game I ever went to. I remember I was probably six or seven years old and walking out of the tunnel - and I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Busch Stadium, in my opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums in the world - but walking out right at sunset and seeing this thing that I’d only ever seen on TV. And I remember my dad asking me, “Is this what you thought it would be?” And I just said, “It’s better. It could not be any better.”
I’d say the most meaningful one was the first outdoor practice we had that senior year of high school. I had come in sort of with the expectation that, okay, I’ll probably play second base and not have a huge role necessarily. One of my best friends, Tony Soldard, who I played with, we’ve been friends since preschool. He played shortstop. We started freshman, sophomore, junior year at shortstop. He was an extremely, extremely good athlete.
We get out, we’re taking our infield, outfield stuff, and I remember the coach called myself in, him in, and the kid who played third base, Chase Dari, who’s another really good friend of mine growing up. And he took a very diplomatic approach and said, “Well, let’s everyone kind of mix around. I want to see maybe Tony go play third base, Kyle go play shortstop, kind of mix it up.”
I didn’t really pick up on it, but I know my friend Tony, who basically had the starting job at shortstop on lock, he just said, “It’s yours. You take it.” He goes, “I have the utmost confidence in you.” He said, “If I wanted to play collegiately, I’m probably going to be playing in the outfield.” He’s a long, rangy, very athletic kid.
And it was that moment where I went, okay, he hasn’t seen me play in six and a half years, but he had the utmost confidence and the humility to go, you know what, you’re better off there. As a team, we’re better off if we have you at shortstop. I’ll go patrol the outfield. And that’s one of those things that even getting to go play in the Pecos League, getting to tell him, was such a cool, unique moment. Even though it was just playing a couple of games in the Pecos League, going, “Hey man, five years ago, that conversation that might have meant not a whole lot to you, I haven’t forgotten it, and I never will.” So that’s probably the most important one for me.
9: What would your walk-up song be right now?
Kyle: Oh man, that’s a good one. Gosh, that’s a tough one. I would say probably I’d have to go with a Nelly song. Probably “Batter Up” by Nelly. I think that’s a good one. Just being around St. Louis, I think that’s a good pick.
9: What’s a song you’ve been listening to a lot lately?
Kyle: I’ve been listening to a lot of Bad Bunny. I don’t understand Spanish at all. I just love the vibe behind it. “Tití Me Preguntó,” which I’m sure I just annihilated the pronunciation of that, but that’s been my go-to ever since the Super Bowl. I’ve been all over it.
9: Favorite junk food if you’re going there?
Kyle: I try to avoid junk food as much as I can. Got to take care of my body a little bit, but I’d have to say like a Jack’s pizza, like a freezer pizza. That’s kind of the go-to. Can’t go wrong with that.
9: For anybody going through their own version of struggle, adjustment, and trying to persevere, what’s your advice?
Kyle: I think the biggest thing is surround yourself with like-minded people. I think that support system and that reassurance, especially around the game, in baseball, where you’re failing more often than you’re succeeding, I think that’s the biggest thing. Surround yourself with good people. Surround yourself with people who are genuinely good people, who are kind, who look out for others.
Other than that, just know that things can be worse. Always keep things in perspective. And whatever happens, don’t let it be the result of a lack of effort. I believe that if you’re going to do anything, you do it at 100% or you don’t do it at all. And then at that point, you can confidently live with yourself and live with the results of whatever it is that you’re doing.
And then too, just to take care of yourself, not only physically — and I know in sports that is the main focus — but take care of yourself mentally. Like I said, I’m someone who struggled with anxiety and depression now for a long time. I’m very open about it and my journey of dealing with that, I don’t think it’s unique. I think a lot of people are in that boat, and I know it’s especially tough, and I think all those statistics support it, that young men struggle very, very badly, and I think it’s important to be open.
But I think it comes back to finding that support system that allows you to be open. And if that’s a friend, a teacher, a professor in college, a coach, whoever it may be, reach out. People do want to help, and life is worth living. But I know there’s always the ups and the downs, but you have to take care of yourself, and you have to take care of the people around you. That’s the biggest thing.