At a point in the season where the New York Mets need every victory they can manage to secure, a 6-and-1 seven-game home stand with more than half of their regulars on the shelf is quite the well-timed accomplishment.
With Michael Conforto (who returned on Sunday), Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano, and Brandon Nimmo all out of the lineup, the Mets swept the scuffling Nats and took two of three from the Tigers, making their way back to .500 before heading out west to face the NL-best Dodgers.
For this team to stay afloat, they’re going to need contributions from every guy on the roster — especially during times like these.
“This week has been fun. It’s been awesome. We’ve been talking about our potential and what we can do and what we’re capable of doing,” Dominic Smith told the media after Sunday’s win (video via Mets). “And I feel like this week is a real testament to that. We have some guys banged up and they’re going to come back soon.”
“If we’re rolling without those guys it’s going to be that much more fun when they get back in the lineup. It just shows how deep this roster is and, like I said, the capability of this team.”
While Smith, 23, is stuck in his role as the backup first baseman and left-handed pinch-hitter off the bench (6-for-25 in that role thus far), he has taken full advantage of the opportunities presented to him — sporadic as they may be — and excelled.
After his 2-for-3 day at the plate in Sunday’s win over Detroit (his fourth-inning double started the rally that led to Adeiny Hechavarria‘s three-run go-ahead homer later in the frame), Smith’s hitting .340/.456/.489 with a .411 wOBA, 164 wRC+ in 57 plate appearances.
Since registering O-Swing rates of 35.5% and 39.8% over 2017 and 2018, respectively (332 plate appearances in total) with O-Contact rates of 59.5% and 61.1%, Smith’s made obvious strides in pitch recognition.
This season he’s offering at just a quarter of the pitches he sees outside of the strike zone (25 percent, exactly), and is making contact at an impressive 72.4% clip on those pitches.
His overall swing rate is down (44% in 2019 from 52.6% in 2018). His overall contact rate is up (78.6% from 72.9% in 2018). And his 17.5% strikeout rate and 15.8% walk rate are both light years ahead of where he was last season (31.5% and 2.7%, respectively).
Small sample size or not, this is clear progress. What’s even more impressive is the consistency Smith’s been able to show this season without the luxury of getting regular playing time. Oh, and there’s always his team-first attitude.
We’re still waiting to see if Mickey Callaway — or whoever makes those decisions — takes up Dom on his offer to play in the outfield, but Smith’s gesture alone reverberates plenty. The energy, the intangibles, all of it point to Smith being a valuable cog on what’s looking to be a scrappy Mets squad.
If he gets five at-bats a week or 20, it appears as if Smith’s just happy to help the team. If he keeps hitting/playing defense/being the catalyst he has, Callaway & Co. may have to find him some more opportunities.
