When Dominic Smith was drafted out of high school, the Mets had a few options on what to do with him. He had enough athletic ability to play the outfield, and when he took the mound, he was able to ramp it up to 95 MPH. However, when the Mets drafted him, they thought of him as a first baseman, and up until this very month, that was all he played in the Mets organization.
Yoenis Cespedes would suffer an injury making his return questionable. Juan Lagares suffered a potentially season ending toe injury running down a fly ball on a rain slogged center field. Next thing you know, a Mets organization with supposed great depth at the Major League level was scrambling a bit. They needed to find solutions and fast.
That came in the form in the recently released Jose Bautista. It also came in the form of a first baseman prospect who spent the offseason getting himself into phenomenal shape.
As Smith told Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I really worked this offseason to get my body in good enough shape so just in case something did happen or just so I could show my team, the Mets and myself, that I’m more versatile than just playing first base.”
He showed that off right away in his first game in the outfield. In a May 19th game, he would finally get to show off that arm which could ramp it up to 95, with his first ever outfield assist.
Since that time, Smith has played two more games in the outfield with both games coming in left. In her article, Helfand notes Las Vegas Manager Tony DeFrancesco plans on having Smith play outfield two to three times per week.
Such a move promises to benefit both Smith and the Mets organization. Arguably, he is the best MLB ready bat in their minor league system, and the team is an outfield injury away from needing him to play outfield. It also doesn’t hurt that this decision coincides with Peter Alonso putting up big numbers in Double-A.
If Smith proves he’s capable of playing the outfield, this would pave a path for both him and Alonso to not only play in the Las Vegas lineup, but possibly also in the Mets lineup.
Such a plan harkens back to something the Mets told him when he was drafted. As Smith said, “They told me after the draft, they said I would play first, but they said if we sign a big-time slugger or somebody can really hit at first base, then they’re comfortable to moving me to the outfield and I feel OK,”
Five years later the Mets plan and contingency plans are in place in large part because Smith has not only gotten more athletic, but he has also maintained it almost two full months into the season. By doing so, he has created more opportunities for both himself and the Mets organization.
