James Smith IV, son of James Smith III, was born in raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi, a city on the Mississippi-Tennessee border that is more of a suburb of Memphis than a Mississippi Delta city. He attended Northpoint Christian School in nearby Southhaven for high school and was a two-sport star, playing football and baseball. In his senior year in 2022, he helped lead the Northpoint Trojans to a 33-9 record, the district championship and a runner-up finish in the state title game with some outright dominant numbers. At the plate, he hit .434 with 11 doubles, 6 triples, and 8 home runs and on the mound, he posted a 1.66 ERA in 54.0 innings with 103 strikeouts. He was heavily recruited by not just baseball scouts, but football scouts as well, and received numerous offers from multiple big schools, but ultimately settled on University of Mississippi.

He did not spend much time at Ole Miss, as he did not crack their baseball team, causing him to transfer to Northwest Mississippi Community College for the 2023 season. Smith started 31 of the 39 games he played for the Rangers in the outfield and appeared in 6 games out of their bullpen as well. At the plate, he hit .268/.398/.485 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 9 stolen bases in as many attempts, and 17 walks to 35 strikeouts, and on the mound, he allowed 5 earned runs in 5.2 innings on 10 hits and 8 walks while notching 5 strikeouts. He returned to the Rangers in 2024, this time playing a little less on the field and getting a little more time on the mound. Starting 22 games in the outfield and appearing in 33 games in total, he hit .328/.471/.672 with 5 doubles, 6 home runs, 5 stolen bases in as many attempts, and an even 15 walks to 15 strikeouts. On the mound, he appeared in 18 games out of the bullpen and posted a 7.25 ERA in 22.1 innings, allowing 20 hits, walking 21, and striking out 27.

After going undrafted in the 2024 MLB Draft, Smith transferred to the University of Memphis. The 22-year-old got his career with the Tigers off to a hot start- in his first 10 games, he logged 5 multi-hit games, 5 extra-base hits, and 3 stolen bases- and while he did slow down a bit as the weeks turned into months, an unfortunate accident in early April ended his season prematurely. Tracking down a routine fly ball, the centerfielder collided with a teammate at the outfield wall and broke his leg. In his abbreviated season, Smith hit .277/.328/.464 in 29 games with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 9 attempts, and drew 6 walks to 28 strikeouts, leading the team in numerous offensive categories. The outfielder also got into a handful of games out of the Tigers bullpen, allowing 4 earned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2 in 5.0 innings over 3 appearances.

On the mound, the tall and lanky Smith throws from a low-three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action through the back. Dropping and driving off the mound, Smith attacks batters from a flat vertical approach angle. His fastball sat in the low-to-mid-90s, and when he reared back, Smith could reportedly hit 99 MPH with it. The pitch had arm-side run and flashed strong induced vertical break readings up in the zone. Complementing it, he threw a mid-80s breaking ball that generally had slider shape.

At the plate, the 6’5”, 185-pound Smith stands slightly closed, holding his hands high and angling his bat behind his head at 1:30. He swings with intent without much of a load or weight transfer, letting his natural strength and long swing do damage. Smith does most of his damage to his pull side and pulled the ball more than 50% of the time during his 2025 season as a result. His aggressive, pull-oriented approach led to a slightly concerning 23% strikeout rate, but Smith has shown he is willing to take walks when he identifies pitches he has no chance of hitting. Defensively, he was a fantastic center fielder prior to his injury. He showed plenty of range to his left and right, had good instincts off the bat, and played the position with no fear.