Good News: Will Smith finally makes 100 home runs.
Smith, who ranks second among MLB catchers in home runs since his 2019 debut, joins Roy Campanella, Mike Piazza, and Steve Yeager in a select group in Dodgers history.
In the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Mets, Will Smith hit a home run, and on Wednesday, he hit two more. These events marked the discovery of his power stroke. Finishing up a sweep at Citi Field, his second shot in the New York finale put the Dodgers ahead for good.
Smith is now only the 35th player in Dodgers history to smash 100 home runs in his career after hitting two on Wednesday. His ten home run total is only the fourth among all catchers in the history of the team.
As of right now, Smith and Steve Yeager are tied for third place in Dodgers team history with 1,181 games caught during Yeager’s 14-year career. Having hit 242 home runs in his ten years with the Dodgers, and winning three MVP awards in that time, Roy Campanella leads all strong Dodger catchers.
As the Dodgers were playing the Mets in New York, Mike Piazza—who has 177 home runs—naturally came up late in the SportsNet LA broadcast on Wednesday night. Piazza is the second-most all-time among Dodgers catchers.
A big photo of Piazza was standing next to the press box restroom, Eric Karros and Stephen Nelson were joking about. More than 25 years have passed since Piazza’s bitter Dodgers departure, which left scars that have not healed. “That trade sucked,” as Karros put it fittingly, was the conclusion of the discussion. Karros and Piazza played together with the Dodgers for parts of seven seasons.
After failing to reach a contract agreement with the pending free agent, the Dodgers transferred Piazza in 1998. With Smith, however, the Dodgers no longer have to worry about that. On March 27, nearly two seasons ahead of his own free agency, Smith agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract extension.
“As a Dodger, I adore you. Smith stated two months ago, “Since I was drafted in 2016, I’ve loved being here.” “Without you, I doubt I would be the player I am today. Being a Dodger for the duration of my career means a lot to me.
With just four home runs in his season in his first 41 games, Smith was a slumping hitter for the most of May. In his last nine games, though, he has struck out five times.
Ever since making his big league debut on May 28, 2019, Smith’s game has included home homers. Since Smith’s debut, only one catcher has hit more home runs (115), Salvador Pérez of the Royals.
Smith is currently ranking second among major league catchers in fWAR (2.4), despite his troubles earlier in May. This season, he is hitting.296/.360/.516 with a 148wRC+. Based on the events of the next month, he is expected to be included in the midsummer classic again this year, having made his first All-Star squad the previous year.