In a season full of few ups and many downs, one bright spot for the New York Mets has been Dom Smith. Similar to Brandon Nimmo last year, injuries have paved the way for Smith since the beginning of the season.

With everyone’s focus after spring training being on Pete Alonso, fairly so, Dom Smith was also hitting well, with a slash line of .321/.367/.464/.831. The question of whether or not the Mets would start Alonso or Smith in New York began to be the talk of the town. Sure enough, the Mets were forced to bring both up, with Jed Lowrie and Todd Frazier starting the year on the injured list.

Fast forward to the end of April and the question shifted to whether or not Smith could keep his hitting up. Boasting an impressive .375/.500/.458/.958, many were still doubtful that this was the real Dom Smith. After all, almost all his at-bats were as a pinch hitter.

Now, nearly halfway through the 2019 campaign, Smith has not stopped hitting.

In 67 games, Smith owns a .339/.438/.606 slash line with eight doubles and seven home runs in 109 at-bats. To put his success into perspective, Smith’s 178 wRC+ ranks fourth in MLB among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

Smith’s continued success has forced Mickey Callaway to find ways to put his bat in the lineup. These have included rare off days for Pete Alonso, but mainly starts in the outfield, something the team was extremely hesitant to do at first.

Smith has started the previous three games in left field, hitting an opposite-field home run in all three. Taking advantage of his opportunities, whether it has been off the bench in a pinch-hit appearance or as a once-a-week start, has been something Smith has done all year long. When asked about the defense of an outfield consisting of Smith, Conforto, and McNeil, Callaway stated, “How I’m looking at it right now is beat up on the starter and then defend late if we have to. That is probably going to be our best recipe for success.”

Success in the Major Leagues from ex-coveted prospect Dom Smith is something Mets fans have been waiting on for two years now. Despite what seems to have been a long wait, Smith is still only 24 years old. While 67 games is still a relatively small sample size, fans now have proof that Dom Smith can succeed in New York. Surely, there is a reason to believe the future is bright for him and the Mets.