Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed their catcher Will Smith to a ten-year $140 million deal. While signing a twenty-nine-year-old catcher to a ten-year deal doesn’t make sense, Smith is one of the elite catchers in the major leagues.
Since 2019, when Smith debuted in the major leagues, he immediately became an offensive producer. In the 2020 abbreviated season, he was a main contributor to the first Dodger world championship since 1988. In Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, Smith became the first player to have five hits.
Smith continued to produce offensively. His career batting average of .261 is great for a full-time catcher. Last season, with a concussion and a cracked rib, he earned his first All-Star selection, but he was his poorest offensive season. He never complained and kept playing since he knew the team needed him.
Over his career, Smith’s defense has improved. Now, every pitcher likes throwing to him. He frames and blocks pitches well. Smith rarely drops a foul ball, and if the Dodger pitching staff held runners on better, Smith would lead the league in throwing out potential base stealers. Before every game, he pours over scouting reports to help the pitchers figure out what to throw.
Smith joins Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to be the nucleus of the Dodgers for the next eight years or longer.
