Dominic Smith, 1B/LF

Player Data: Age: 23, B/T: L/L
Primary Stats: 56 G, 149 PA, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 47 K, .224/.255/.420
Advanced Stats: .297 BABIP, 84 wRC+, .288 wOBA, 87 OPS+, -0.6 bWAR, -0.5 fWAR
Free Agency: 2025
2019 Salary: Pre-Arb

Grade: Incomplete

2018 Review

Poor Dominic Smith. Will he ever be handled correctly? The young first baseman spent most of 2018 in AAA and on the big league bench. Even though 2018 was a losing season for the Mets, Smith did not get a chance to regularly start at first base until the end of the season.

For Smith to get a chance to play, the Mets sometimes trotted him out in left field, despite having no experience in the outfield prior to this season, which led to predictable defensive struggles.

Smith came into the Spring slimmed down and with legitimate chance to compete for the opening day first base job. Then he showed up late on the day of his first scheduled spring start and then got injured, which limited his playing time in Spring Training. As a result he began the season in the minors.

It’s not really fair to give Smith a grade because of the really small sample size. But the results were not ideal for a former first round draft pick. His K% of 31.5% was dismal and his power numbers were extremely disappointing for a guy playing a power position.

Smith’s most consistent playing time came in September and October, when he started 16 games and actually performed decently. His line during those months was .258/.290/.470 in 69 plate appearances. It’s a small sample size and the improvements were modest, but, hey, growth is growth.

2019 Outlook

It’s difficult to predict what the future holds for Dominic Smith. By all implications, it appears that the 2019 starting first base job belongs to Peter Alonso. With no clear path to a starting spot, it is hard to find a place for Smith on the major league roster. There is no point having him in the big leagues just to make him ride the bench, and there is not much more for him to gain in the minors.

With that being said, Smith is still just 23 years old, and still has plenty of potential. So, the question becomes: will his next big league shot come with the Mets? The answer is not obvious, but right now, the answer unfortunately seems like it could very well be no.

Smith’s early career has been mishandled, so even though he has disappointed in his brief major league time, there is nowhere to go but up for him.