The Dominic Smith hype train is full steam ahead at the start of New York Yankees spring training. But it’s destined to end in disappointment if one former general manager is to be believed.
Speaking on SNY’s “Baseball Night in New York,” ex-New York Mets general manager Zack Scott said that despite Smith’s hot start — home runs in back-to-back games — he is still on the outskirts of the Yankees’ Opening Day lineup.
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“I don’t think he has much of a shot,” Scott said Wednesday. “And I definitely don’t think him having a good early start to spring training makes any difference. But, when I look at their roster, if (Giancarlo) Stanton’s on the IL, I guess he does have some chance being a left-handed bat. But I think they’d opt for versatility on their roster and fill the DH spot with a rotation in giving guys days off. I think he’s pretty low down on the depth chart, but i could be wrong.”
Scott, who was Smith’s general manager for a short period in 2021, doubled down on X afterward. He has not been a believer from the start.
“I’m sorry, Dom, but I don’t see it,” Scott wrote. “I still wonder if I didn’t initially get the Mets GM job because, in the interview, I suggested selling high on Dom after his great 2020 season. It probably wasn’t a good political suggestion when interviewing with the GM who drafted him. Oops.”
Scott likely was referencing Sandy Alderson, who drafted Smith in 2013 and was the team’s president in 2021. Smith, a high school draftee, made his major-league debut with the Mets in 2017 before Pete Alonso became entrenched as their first baseman two years later.
Smith broke out in 2020 as a part-time left fielder and first baseman (alongside Alonso) with a .316/.377/.616 line (168 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. But he’s been a below-average offensive producer in the four major league seasons since and has spent considerable time in Triple-A in recent seasons.
In 693 major-league games and 2,266 plate appearances, Smith has a .246/.313/.403 line (97 OPS+) with 64 home runs and 259 RBIs. He batted .233/.313/.378 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 307 plate appearances last season with the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.
As Scott alluded, Smith, who signed a minor-league deal this offseason, needs his bat to carry him because he’s at the edge of the defensive spectrum as a first baseman and DH, where he played Wednesday.
But he’s still only 29 years old, in the middle of his prime years.
Speaking about the lefty earlier this month, Yankees manager Aaron Boone recognized that while Smith has been a good hitter throughout his big-league career, he realistically won’t make the Opening Day roster without a lane opening up.
“He’s here because we know if that lane does open up, we’ve got a quality hitter, quality person that you can add in the mix real easy,” Boone said.
That lane could be opened because Stanton is injured (tennis elbows in both arms) and away from the team.
And even if Smith doesn’t get the first opportunity now, he at least has put himself in the conversation to be part of the major-league mix eventually.
NJ Advance Media’s Max Goodman contributed to this report
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