Memories of Dom Smith

[A Boy Named Seo]

Signed by the Nationals, metirish first. He seemed a curious draft pick, a first basemen who hadn't developed power yet, but I enjoyed him immensely when he arrived and wish he could've sustained that 2020 success. Good luck, Dom.



https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/nationals-to-sign-dominic-smith-to-one-year-deal.htmlhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/nationals-to-sign-dominic-smith-to-one-year-deal.html

[metirish]

Very likeable guy , I wish him well. Eyes always looked sleepy to me

[G-Fafif]

His season-ending home run on the last swing of 2019 clinched Dom a championship of the Mets fan's heart.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Very likeable guy , I wish him well. Eyes always looked sleepy to me

Same on the sleepy eyes. Around these parts, we'd take to calling him "sleepy Dom" when he was in a rut and "woke Dom" when he was hot. May he be forever woke except against us.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Was the Schaefer Mets Player of the Month in August of 2020. Was the Bench Player of the Month six times, an all-time record! (Wilmer Flores is in second place with five.)



http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1971.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1972.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1972Action.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1973.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1974.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1975.jpg>

[MFS62]

He was a lefty-hitting #1 draft pick from California. We hoped he would be another Daryl Strawberry.

We got Dominic Smith.



Later

[Edgy MD]

A king on that swing. A big heart. A chubbiness problem in the minors that he seemed to have licked. As noted, he seemed to have stoned eyes in every photo back then also, but it may well have been the apnea.



Between the weight, the apnea, getting stuck behind Alonso, and the depression, along with alienation that comes from living through the the George Floyd era as a black American man in a conservative sport, he's had a lot of hurdles, and he sure seemed to do his his best to clear them.



Gore and Naquin are the last Mets free agents standing.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

That moment I felt the Mets needed enough to keep Dom and trade Roy Pete.



Nobody thought he'd be Strawberry. More like Hernanez-esque

[kcmets]

[media=youtube]cIXCygtsqFg[/media]

[Benjamin Grimm]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Nobody thought he'd be Strawberry. More like Hernanez-esque

Well, he has the same initials as Darryl Strawberry.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Edgy MD wrote: Between the weight, the apnea, getting stuck behind Alonso, and the depression, along with alienation that comes from living through the the George Floyd era as a black American man in a conservative sport, he's had a lot of hurdles, and he sure seemed to do his his best to clear them.

Beautifully put.






=kcmets post_id=115968 time=1672777559 user_id=53]
[media=youtube]cIXCygtsqFg[/media]

[Lefty Specialist]

Never really had a place once Pete hit 53 home runs.



Wish him well, but wish he'd gone out of division. I'm betting he has a great year with a steady job on a no-pressure team.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Never really had a place once Pete hit 53 home runs. Wish him well, but wish he'd gone out of division. I'm betting he has a great year with a steady job on a no-pressure team.

I could see this. First base is his natural position and he's a damn good fielder. Way better than Alonso. Less pressure when you're not out of position.

[The Hot Corner]

Always seemed like a decent man with a good heart. Great defensive first baseman, but he was a man without a position with Alonso entrenched at first base. The DH rule seemed to give Dom a shot at a major role with the team, but he was never able to hit consistently to lay claim to the role.



I wish him well in Washington.

[RealityChuck]

Seemed like a nice guy, but when Pete came along, there was no place for him to play.



I remember him best when someone had a walk-off hit. Dom was injured and used a scooter for one leg and came onto the field to join the celebration.

[G-Fafif]

“The never say die Mets finish the season on an INCREDIBLE note!”

[Fman99]

=G-Fafif post_id=115960 time=1672776066 user_id=55]
His season-ending home run on the last swing of 2019 clinched Dom a championship of the Mets fan's heart.

[kcmets]

http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/DominicSmith1972.jpg>

I know, funny right? People say I look

like I'm always stoned or something.



I'm high on life, not reefer!

[smg58]

Definitely an easy guy to root for. He thrived under Chili Davis, but none of our other hitting coaches seemed to get him. The Nats are a good landing spot for him, even though he stays in the division.

[A Boy Named Seo]

This is a great landing spot for him, too. Rebuilding team where he should get plenty of low-pressure ABs in a park and division he's familiar with.

[nymr83]

mostly disappointing tenure for a guy who was probably drafted too highly given the position he plays. too much has to go right for a first baseman who doesn't have 40 homer power to become worth a 1st round pick.

[Edgy MD]

Nobody has 40-homer power coming out of high school, though. You do your best to make projections, it works out for five to seven teams, and everybody else chalks it off to experience.



The first 30 picks that year were pretty much Kris Bryant and everybody else. Aaron Judge went with a supplemental pick between rounds.

[nymr83]

Edgy MD wrote: Nobody has 40-homer power coming out of high school, though. You do your best to make projections, it works out for five to seven teams, and everybody else chalks it off to experience. The first 30 picks that year were pretty much Kris Bryant and everybody else. Aaron Judge went with a supplemental pick between rounds.

Hunter Renfroe, JP Crawford, and Tim Anderson went within 6 picks after Smith. They've all produced 10+ WAR - none are great hitters, but its a different baseline when you produce defensive value.



Smith was not PROJECTED to have that power either from what I recall.

[Edgy MD]

I don't know anybody projected to hit 40 homeruns in the big leagues at 18, but yes, he was projected to develop power, by both the Mets and outside rankers. I mean, look at him. He's got the strength, he's got the swing, and he's got the bat speed. And he has shown what he can do, power-wise, if not consistency-wise. I think if you review reports from the time, you'd generally see a 65 rating for his power potential.

[whippoorwill]

I am not happy that he's gone.

[nymr83]

Edgy MD wrote: I don't know anybody projected to hit 40 homeruns in the big leagues at 18, but yes, he was projected to develop power, by both the Mets and outside rankers. I mean, look at him. He's got the strength, he's got the swing, and he's got the bat speed. And he has shown what he can do, power-wise, if not consistency-wise. I think if you review reports from the time, you'd generally see a 65 rating for his power potential.

Here is baseball prospectus from august 2014:



https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_bat.php?reportid=177https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_bat.php?reportid=177

Flashes above-average raw power in BP; linear swing path lacks much lift at present, leading to abundant topspin in games; whip-like bat speed through the zone; player shows ability to get the barrel to the baseball on a consistent basis, but a lack of leverage, an out-of-sync lower half, and a contact-heavy approach limits the over-the-fence pop at present; thick/strong lower half bodes well for potential power output in theory; needs plenty of mechanical adjustments and approach alterations, but player flashes the necessary ingredients to accumulate average power production in the form of doubles and mid-teens home run output.

the bold is mine. they gave him a "50" future power grade. the overall report certainly doesnt read "1st rounder" to me.

[Edgy MD]

Sure, but that's just one bullish guy.



I wish they got more value out of the pick too, but I sure didn't know then who that was going to be. Baseball America ranked Smith 14th, MLB.com ranked him 16th, and Bleacher Report Prospect Pipeline had him 16th as well. All are below the Mets' 11th slot, but all firmly entrenched in the first round.



But hey! They got Jeff McNeil 11 rounds later!

[nymr83]

Jeff McNeil's skill set feels like an even more improbably success story. Of course, in round 12 who the heck cares, you can take a guess at that point and there is very little downside to being wrong.