Earlier in the week, Dominic Smith addressed a handful of questions relating to his own feelings about the 2018 season. While he was expected to take the reins relatively early on in the season and establish himself as a solid left-handed bat in the middle of the Mets’ lineup, the end results have been underwhelming in terms of not only his performance, but even more so his playing time.
Smith has been optioned to Triple-A three times while being asked to make starts in left field as the organization continues to gauge slugger Peter Alonso‘s potential as an everyday first baseman. While Alonso hit .260/.355/.585 with 21 home runs and 67 RBI in Vegas, Smith posted a more pedestrian .258/.328/.380 line with just six homers. In the majors, he’s had similar issues producing consistently, nearly matching his negative offensive and defensive metrics from last year. His .646 OPS is even lower than the .658 he posted in a disappointing stint last season.
In his defense, Smith – who lost 30 pounds this past offseason – has seen his luck turn a hearty corner since his most recent promotion. Smith is hitting .244/.277/.444 in the month of September, and in his 11 starts, has slashed .270/.289/.486. He also has a 34.2% strikeout rate in this stretch, however. And when it’s all said and done, Smith’s season will most likely be identified as an opportunity he and team executives both failed to capitalize on.
Nonetheless, the once highly-touted prospect has kept an optimistic outlook despite such frustrating circumstances:
“I am 23 years old, it can’t change at 23,” Smith said regarding the notion that his window as a young talent at first base has closed on him. “You have got guys breaking into the league at 25, 26 and they are making a splash, so I have got time. I am not too worried about that.”
Smith was also willing to discuss his interpretation of the team’s decision to play him more frequently in left field, given his recent defensive struggles as well as the team’s commitment to Alonso going forward:
“I feel like if I come in and do my part, I will force some hands,” he said. “That is all I can do. I can’t worry about everything else that is going on. We do have a lot of outfielders, a lot of really talented players. We do have Jay Bruce seeing some time at first base… Pete Alonso is in Triple-A right now, so there’s a lot of stuff that needs to get solved over the next couple of months, but I feel it will work itself out.”
“I think we are just moving him around at that point to see what is a viable option for next year,” manager Mickey Callaway told reporters. Callaway has been heavily criticized for his decisions (or lack thereof) to play Smith at his natural position while accommodating the predicaments surrounding both Bruce and Wilmer Flores as mediocre defenders with more experience in a big league clubhouse. While the team has had its chances to play Smith at first, it has instead stuck its neck out for less reliable defenders who have less to lose sitting out a day or two in this dismal season, and in the case of early veteran filler Adrian Gonzalez, perhaps should have been shown the door earlier.
“It was just an unfortunate year for me, myself personally, and I am sure for the team, the expectations that we had,” Smith added. “It was a weird year… I was searching for my swing all year, learning a whole new position. All of that combined made the year extremely tough for myself, extremely tough for the team.”
When asked about the chance that he ends up being traded in the offseason while there may still be some value to his expiring name, Smith was able to keep things in perspective – just as he has through the incessant traveling back and forth, both around the field and the country – as his team struggles to find a consistent development plan:
“I feel like me playing outfield helps my versatility for myself and to the Mets, too. If I can go out there and play the outfield a couple of days a week and be able to play first and swing it, that’s the biggest part. As long as I am hitting, they will find a spot to put me in and that’s all I am really focusing on now, and obviously improving my outfield defense.”
The confidence that Smith has harnessed and held closely over the course of his first two big-league seasons has been far more noteworthy than the recent concerns that have surrounded both his weight and commitment to the team in recent months. While baseball isn’t obligated to give back to those who remain patient, the attitude and recent improvements in Smith’s game certainly warrant some consideration as the Mets grapple with a way to get the most value out of him possible.
