Aug 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) hits a sacrifice pop fly during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former MVP Catcher Sees Similarities Between Dodgers' Will Smith and Himself

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith has been having himself an incredible season at the plate.

His National League-leading batting average of .312 is the fourth-best in baseball, and his NL-leading on-base percentage of .414 is second in MLB (minimum 350 plate appearances).

Smith recently drew praise from seven-time All-Star and 2012 NL MVP Buster Posey, who spent 12 seasons with the rival San Francisco Giants. Nowadays, Posey is the president of baseball operations for the Giants, but made sure to note his admiration for Smith, who made his MLB debut during Posey's penultimate season with San Francisco.

“I’ve always been a fan of Will,” Posey said. “Playing against him, I felt like we had some similarities, because he wasn’t looking to be your best friend when you came to the plate. I kind of appreciated that about him. He was always very business.

“You could tell he wanted to do everything he could to beat you. There’s no doubt he’s been a big part of that team’s success.”

Posey knows a thing or two about being an elite catcher, but is just as knowledgable about helping a team win a championship. He has three World Series titles to his name during the Giants' run from 2010 until 2014.

The former Giants catcher also spoke on somewhat of a flaw in Smith's game in recent seasons that seems to have been addressed, and that is the drop in production during the second half of the year.

Smith is a career .279 hitter with an .869 OPS in the first half of the year, but his average drops to .244 during the second half, with an OPS of .777.

“And, especially as you get late in the year, as much as you try to maintain your legs throughout the season, inevitably you get later in the year and your legs do start to get a little bit tired,” Posey said. “That’s the foundation to hitting. So you’re kind of combating that.

“You’re also a foul tip away from getting one off your hands that would impact how you grip the bat. So there is a lot.”

Smith is in-line to become just the fifth catcher in MLB history to win a batting title, with one of the previous four being Posey, and may narrowly qualify this season.

Official MLB Rules state that 3.1 plate appearances per game are needed to qualify for the batting title, totalling 502 plate appearances at years end. Smith is currently projected to make 500 plate appearances this season.

Manager Dave Roberts spoke on how close Smith is projected to be, and that he is confident his catcher will hit the mark.

“He’s going to qualify. No matter what, I’ll make sure of that,” Roberts said. “I’m going to make sure he gets enough at-bats.”