The Los Angeles Dodgers have assembled one of the most impressive lineups in MLB history with former MVP Award winners in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman occupying the first three spots.
The rest of the group has no shortage of talent either as Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández and Chris Taylor are among the players with at least one All-Star selection to their name.
Smith has been off to a tremendous start as the Dodgers’ cleanup hitter, entering play Wednesday with the highest batting average in baseball at .400.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Smith for being one of the team’s most reliable bats and believes he deserves more attention, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think he likes it that way, as far as being under the radar,” Roberts said. “He’s hitting fourth in a pretty dang good lineup so he’s not going unnoticed here. I think he’s an All-Star. A star player. He’s very consistent.
“I think the ‘Big 3’ certainly gets a lot of media attention. But that four hitter is pretty dang good too. He’s very consistent. He’s exactly what we need behind those three guys.”
Smith’s blistering start at the plate this season includes hits in 10 of his first 12 games, including multiple hits in five of those.
The 29-year-old went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. He’s batting .400/.426/.540 with an MLB-best 20 hits, four doubles, one home run and 12 RBI in 54 plate appearances.
Will Smith: Dodgers most ‘committed’ organization to winning World Series
After signing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension with the Dodgers that will keep him in the organization through the 2033 season, Smith said he is happy to be part of a team that routinely competes for a World Series championship.
“I don’t love that part, but I love being a Dodger,” Smith said of the attention that came with signing a lucrative deal. “I’ve loved being here since I got drafted in 2016 and I don’t think I’m the player I would be without being here.
“For me to probably finish my career a Dodger, means a lot. I couldn’t be happier or more excited moving forward. Looking forward, to me, there’s no better organization that’s more committed to winning a World Series. That’s the most important thing to me when it comes to baseball.”
More must-reads: