Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 185 lb
Age: 19
Acquired: 2013 Rule 4 Draft, 1st Round, Junipero Serra HS (Gardena, CA)
2014: (A) .271/.344/.338, 1 HR, 44 RBI, 5 SB (55%), 51 BB, 77 K
2013: (R) .301/.398/.439, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 2 SB (33%), 26 BB, 37 K
Baseball America's "best pure prep hitter in the 2013 Draft class," has truly impressed Mets minor league followers in his 1st two years. As one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League, Smith is amongst the Top 30 in batting average and doubles. He has also shown to be a solid defender converting 99.3% of the plays which he has been a part of.
Critics will be quick to point out that Smith's power has been non-existant. While this is certainly the case, fans need to remember that Grayson Stadium, as well as, much of the SAL is a very difficult place to hit and carries many of the MLB's top pitching prospects. At only 185lbs, the young man also has at least 20 pounds on his frame to fill out as he gets older and grows stronger. As long as he can maintain his hand-eye coordination and advanced pitch-recognition skills, he should develop into someone who gets on base often, while still driving balls.
Scouts and analysts, more advanced I, continue to jump onto Smith's bandwagon. MLB.com has pushed Dominic into their Top 100 Prospects listing, slotting him at #84. They have also named him the #1 1B prospect in all of baseball with the promotion of Jon Singleton. Scouts are confident he will provide enough offense to make him a solid Major Leaguer in time while providing excellent defense at 1B.
Ceiling: 20-25 HR, .290+ AVG, low K, high BB bat in the #3 spot (Joey Votto)
Floor: Makes the MLB, Good Bat/Defense but not enough power develops (Eric Hosmer)
4 comments:
I talked to Dom and his father at the opening day luncheon this season. I had interviewed him when he was in high school so, in some sense, we 'go back' and they were both comfortable with me.
I told him about Grayson Stadium and they both agreed that his main goal in 2014 would be to get on base by hitting the gaps the way Matt den Dekker and other had in the past.
I did expect a few more home runs but I don't think his swing is adjusted for that this season.
Anyway... he has a lot of talent and there is plenty of time to develop power. My guess is he will be put in one of those weight camps like Ruben Tejada was in last year (yeah... how did that work for him?).
@Mack
Something tells me Dom will follow the same off-season plan Nimmo had last season which was to attend the AMG Academy for a few weeks.
It did wonders for Nimmo this season.
I hope that Nimmo goes back to that camp, which he'd be nuts not to, and I hope that Smith, Chechini, and Conforto go as well.
Imagine the results moving forward, especially for Gavin and Smith. In Nimmo and Conforto, they'd be stacking themselves with even more power.
Come to think of it, the Mets should get Lagaras in to one of these programs too. With his defense and hitting ability, a touch more pop could turn him into one of the top 15-20 players in the game.
It's hard to look at 2015 and beyond and not be excited about the Mets. But then, you see Wright and Grandy's contracts and get stomach sick knowing that the Wilpons don't have the money to get an offense brewing quick enough for 2015. All the Mets' hopes for next year will hinge on "bounce back" seasons for their holdovers, as well as a hope that they can make a great trade using veteran pitchers that had more value before the 2014 season.
Charles -
Everything you said probably strengthens the lack of possibility of the Mets taking on another big contract in the off season.
Hopefully, the trading of players like Colon, Gee, Niese, Plaweiki, and Murphy can get them the LF and SS they need for the future.
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