Dominic Smith plays an important role for the New York Mets. He is one player on the team that can make an impact in a significant way.
There’s a reason why the Mets selected him in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. In his fifth season, Smith has shown improvement at the plate and in the field.
He’s been heavily relied on to provide the struggling Mets offense with a veteran power bat that they can rely on in addition to Peter Alonso.
Having him in the lineup is critical for the Mets and their success throughout the season. Smith has come alive offensively during July which is a sign that Mets certainly want to see.
The second half of the season will be an important stretch for Smith as he will look to be more consistent at the plate.
With the addition of Javy Baez to the Mets lineup, Smith should get a few more pitches to hit.
Through 96 games, he’s batting .251 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Smith is third on the team in home runs and is second in RBI. Leaving Smith out of the lineup is something the Mets don’t plan on doing because he is too valuable.
He recently put together an impressive performance against the Atlanta Braves on July 29th.
Our MLBbro went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Smith started the month seeing the ball really well.
At the start of July, he went on a five-game hitting streak where he hit .444 during that span with three home runs and seven RBI.
There’s no question that this brother can hit and he’s made improvements at the plate since he entered the league.
If you watch Smith play, you will see how patient he is at the plate. He’s the type of hitter that understands the count and knows what he’s trying to do in certain situations.
And he has some pop in that bat of his.
“I hit it on the barrel pretty well,” Smith told the New York Post. “This park is pretty friendly for hitters, so you just have to play your elements.”
Smith went into that at-bat with a game plan and made adjustments from his previous at-bats during that game.
“There’s nowhere to put me and I know he’s just trying to get ahead,” Smith said. “He’s trying to throw his best pitches to get me out. Throughout the first couple innings, he got a lot of soft contact on breaking balls, including I popped one up. That’s just something I took note of and I was just ready to hit.”
“I try to get better with my swing, with my approach, with the pitches I’m swinging at,” Smith said. “If you can simplify the game a little bit and swing at good pitches, then I think you’ll have pretty good numbers at the end of the year. That’s something I didn’t do at the beginning of the year and I’m starting to do — control the strike zone. The ball is starting to carry and leave the yard.”
Smith has adapted to the big leagues well over the last few years and he can become a player that the Mets could end up paying big money for.
He just needs to stay consistent at the plate and continue to let the game come to him.
