The New York Mets have called up first baseman Dominic Smith to the major leagues. To make room for him on the roster, the Mets have designated Fernando Salas for assignment.
Smith was the Mets first round draft pick (11th overall) in the 2013 Draft. Recently, MMN has rated him as the second best prospect in the Mets organization. With his promotion, he joins the top prospect, Amed Rosario, in the majors.
Smith has played 114 games with Las Vegas this season. The 22 year old is hitting .330/.386/.519 with 34 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, and 74 RBI. This season, he has already set personal bests in runs, doubles, triples, homers, extra base hits, total bases, and isolated power.
Smith led the Pacific Coast League in base hits and doubles. He was second in total bases.
Smith really took off since July 1st. Over the past34 games, he’s hitting .345/.401/.633 with 14 doubles, a triple, eight homers, and 30 RBI. It was during this stretch, Smith began to quiet some of the concerns about whether he would ever hit for power.
There are no concerns about Smith’s defense. He is a nimble player around the bag with soft hands, and he’s adept at scooping the ball out of the dirt.
With Smith’s promotion, all the first round draft picks of the Sandy Alderson era, save the last two drafts, have appeared in the majors. Two of those players, Michael Fulmer and Michael Conforto have already been named All Stars.
Smith will be the first player from the Mets 2013 draft class to make it to the majors.
Looking forward to seeing him in action. The Mets have taken the right approach with Smith: ignoring the hype, taking him thru one level per year. In hindsight, its possible that the lack of HR power earlier in his career may have worked to his advantage. Lowered the hype, and let him do his thing. Hopefully this will reduce the growing pains and shorten the learning curve that others have faced.