Dominic Smith has not played baseball in a full calendar year.
True, he hit a walk-off home run to end the Mets’ season on a high note in September. But in terms of the sleep-train-play-repeat nature of the game, he hasn’t experienced the grind of a season since suffering a stress reaction in his foot last July.
“I’ve been dreaming of baseball every day,” Smith said on a Zoom call on Tuesday. “I’ve been wanting baseball. I’m very happy that we’re here and I’m very excited to be back on the field.”
Opting out of the 2020 season was not under consideration, Smith said. He’s very much opting in to a potent Mets offense that should benefit from the variety of roles Smith can handle.
“I just wanted to come in, play hard, and show them what I can do,” he said. “Obviously put the pressure on the team to make the tough decisions.”
The primary decision: whether Smith will see the majority of his time in the outfield, at first base, as a pinch hitter, or, for the first time, as a designated hitter.
“We have the DH rule this year which is obviously really good for our team,” he said. “I think that I’ll be able to contribute in any way that I can. I just wanted to come in and show [the team] that I’m ready.”
A full-time major leaguer for the first time in 2019, Smith thrived in New York, ironically as someone else at his position – Pete Alonso – established himself as one of the elite first basemen in all of baseball.
Smith split his time nearly evenly at first (36 games), the outfield (33 games), and off the bench (39 games). In total, he hit .282 with a 133 wRC+ and was worth 0.8 wins above replacement. He had entered the year with -1.1 WAR in two seasons split between New York and Triple-A.
Smith will certainly be happy to spend another season in Flushing rather than Las Vegas or Syracuse, even if a 60-game season and its protocols prevent players from taking advantage of it.
“It’s a little different but I think we’re doing a good job of staying our distance, quarantining, and still trying to have fun doing it,” he said. “A lot of us play Call of Duty, so we get to go online every night and that’s how we communicate.
“The city has been different. Obviously it’s going to be weird not seeing the best fans in the world in the stands, so we’re definitely saddened by that but we know we still have a job to do.”
Always vocal, Smith returns to the Mets after a summer during which he expressed himself in a different lane. In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, Smith spoke with SNY to discuss his extremely personal experiences with racial injustice as a Black American.
“A bunch of guys on the team reached out and showed an outpour of love and support,” Smith said. “For me, for my community, for the things we’ve gone through.”
Smith said multiple members of the front office told him they were moved by his words and encouraged him to continue to stand by them.
“Just to see the impact that I had and the people around the world, the people out there protesting and trying to make a change, I’m very moved by it. I’m happy that so many people are open to listening and open to change.”
