Bryan Smith worked for excitement playing and afterward

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Bryan Smith 1990 Auburn Astros baseball card
Hot Springs' downtown revitalization task force listened to a lot of people and went through a lot of data, Chamber of Commerce board chair Bryan Smith said at a 2014 press conference, according to ArkansasOnline.

The end result, Smith said at the press conference, was a report on the future of the Hot Springs downtown to be proud of.

"It's an exciting plan," Smith said, according to the site. "It is good to know it is going forward."

Years earlier, Smith worked to be exciting in a different way, on the baseball field. But the excitement of his baseball plan never fully came to be. He played two seasons in the Astros system. He never made AA.

Smith's baseball career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 46th round of the draft out of Texarkana College. He played his high school ball at El Dorado High in El Dorado, Ark.

Though drafted in 1989, Smith took his time to sign, agreeing to terms with the Astros just before the 1990 draft.

He played his first year at short-season Auburn. In 62 games, he hit .211. He also knocked in 15 runs and stole nine bases.

Smith then played 1991 at single-A Burlington. He hit .239 in 105 games, with 30 RBI and 29 stolen bases. His season at Burlington marked the end of his brief career.

His playing days over, Smith returned home to Arkansas. In 2014, he served as purchasing director at Alliance Rubber in Hot Springs and served with the Chamber of Commerce.

Alliance Rubber manufactures rubber bands and employs more than 150 people in Hot Springs, according to TalkBusiness.net

"We are proud to say we manufacture every rubber band we make in the U.S.A.," Smith told TalkBusiness in 2014.
1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,241
Made the Majors: 943-42.1%
Never Made Majors:1,298-57.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 394
10+ Seasons in the Minors:238

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