Diamondbacks Pavin Smith Taking Relaxed Approach at the Plate

"I hit a slider the first time up and it seemed like he was throwing a lot more splitters to guys after me. I wasn't all the way sitting off-speed, but I knew he was going to try to pitch around me a little bit.

"I got to 3-2, kind of battled, was still thinking he might come off-speed, and I was just reacting to the fastball," Smith said.

And it's to that process of rapid, in-the-moment adjustments that Smith attributes his hot start. He's seeing a much-expanded role with regard to his number of plate appearances, but is spending more time at DH than in the field.

"I think the main difference this year is just being able to make adjustments quicker," Smith said. "You know, obviously I haven't had a stretch where I've needed to make major adjustments, but at the same time, there's certain feels that I can recognize a little easier.

"I feel like in years past it's taken a little longer, and those [rough] at-bats seem to pile up. ... [The ball] feels like it's coming in a little slower, which is nice," Smith said.

Smith said that due to his hot bat, he doesn't feel like he sees as many strikes thrown to him. But rather than chase pitches, he lets them come to him, laying off if it doesn't look as hittable.

"If I see the pitch and it doesn't feel like I can do damage on it, I just try not to swing at it. It's not really a thought of being patient or anything. Just as the ball's coming in, if it doesn't look like I can hit it, I try not to swing at it," he said.

Smith noted that he's been able to make those minor "adjustments" based on feel. Rather than painstakingly mapping out his swing and approach, he simply tries to get the right feel in his swing prior to an at-bat.

"I hit with the anchor. If I feel like I'm going to hit the next inning, I go in there and just kind of get my feel. Even if it's only like three or four swings, just feel it and then kind of take it into the end line," Smith said.

He hadn't been used much as pure DH in his previous seasons with the D-backs, but with the departure of Joc Pederson, the left-handed half of the DH has been Smith's, with only an occasional swap with first baseman Josh Naylor. Smith said he's adjusting well to the DH life, and enjoys being able to fill that role.

And perhaps the key to Smith's success in that position? Staying relaxed. Smith said it was a positive experience to learn from Pederson's calm, quick-adjustment approach to the DH in 2024 — it certainly worked out for Pederson, and it's working for Smith so far.

"Just watching [Pederson] as the DH, not panic. You get out the first at-bat, that's okay. You can make adjustments off that and know how they're pitching you. I think just watching him chill out, relax...

"I do it a little differently than him, but I definitely took the more relaxed approach. Because you can kind of go crazy because you have so much time. So I just try to think about [the at-bat] right after, and then kind of put it away and focus on the next one," Smith said.

Regardless, the Diamondbacks have been lucky to have Smith's hot bat in their lineup. Even though a .559 BABIP might not be a sustainable number, Smith's at-bats are of tangible quality, and his contact is anything but weak.

His Baseball Savant page is a sea of red. He's averaging a 92.5 MPH exit velo, and has a 98th percentile barrel rate (23.7%). His xBA (.298) and xSLG (.611) are both exceptional numbers, each ranking well within the top 15% of MLB.

And it's not as if Smith has made fundamental changes to his swing, or even really his approach. He's simply playing loose and relaxed, and is making smart, fast adjusments, even in the midst of individual at-bats.

"I think I've just come to certain cornerstones that I definitely won't change now, even if bad stretches come. So, just having one or two things, and thenI think the main thing that I mess with is just how I load right now, and just the rest," Smith said.

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