Justin Smoak began his career as a member of the Texas Rangers after being selected in the first round of the 2008 amateur draft. In 2010, Smoak was a fresh-faced 23-year old when he made his MLB debut on April 23rd. The designated hitter on that Rangers team was none other than 35-year old veteran Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
On April 27th, Smoak would notch his first career run batted in by hitting a sacrifice fly that would score Vladdy Sr. Less than three months later, the Rangers would ship Smoak and three other players to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe.