Will Smith Stats
- Height / Weight
- 5' 10" / 195 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 3/28/1995 (29)
- Experience
- 5
- College
- Louisville
Will Smith Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Will Smith News
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting the day off for the matinee game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Austin Barnes will catch right-hander Bobby Miller and will hit ninth against Twins right-hander Chris Paddack. Smith will head to the bench after starting each of the team's last three games. The former 32nd overall pick in 2016 out of Louisville has been on fire at the plate so far in 2024 after his first All-Star selection in 2023. In his first 12 games for the Blue this year, he has a league-high 20 hits in 50 at-bats for a league-high .400 batting average, a home run, 12 RBI and six runs scored in his 54 plate appearances. He's obviously a must-start fantasy catcher when he's active. Barnes will be a weak DFS sleeper play in the nine-hole and is hitless in five career at-bats versus Paddack.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in Sunday's starting lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals. It appears to be a regular day of rest for the star backstop. Smith, much like everyone on the Dodgers offense, has enjoyed a strong start to 2024. He is slashing .455/.500/.545 with four RBI through 24 plate appearances. Veteran catcher Austin Barnes will get his first start of the season with Smith out. Barnes maintains almost no fantasy appeal unless forced into an everyday role.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith are finalizing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. The 28-year-old has been one of the most productive offensive catchers since entering the big leagues in the 2019 season, putting together a career .263 average with 91 home runs and an .842 OPS across 486 games played. Most recently, he hit .261 with 19 home runs, 80 runs, 76 RBI, and a .797 OPS across 554 trips to the plate in the 2023 season. ATC projects Smith to club 21 home runs along with 74 RBI and an .823 OPS in 124 games in the 2024 season as he is every bit worthy of his 80.46 ADP as the fourth catcher off the draft board this spring.
Batting Order
1 | Mookie Betts |
2 | Shohei Ohtani |
3 | Freddie Freeman |
4 | Will Smith |
5 | Max Muncy |
6 | Teoscar Hernández |
7 | James Outman |
8 | Andy Pages |
9 | Gavin Lux |
Will Smith Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Mookie Betts |
2 | Shohei Ohtani |
3 | Freddie Freeman |
4 | Will Smith |
5 | Max Muncy |
6 | Teoscar Hernández |
7 | James Outman |
8 | Andy Pages |
9 | Gavin Lux |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith delivered pretty much as expected in the 2023 season. He hit .261 with 19 home runs, three stolen bases, and a .797 OPS across 554 plate appearances. He acknowledged after the season he did so while playing with a broken rib for much of the season's first half and he also missed two weeks in April due to a concussion. Nonetheless, he ranked second among qualified catchers with a 0.71 BB/K behind only Adley Rutschman. He ranked third in runs and fourth in RBI. With full health, these figures would certainly be far higher considering his .352 xwOBA ranked in the league's 78th percentile. He's not going to hit the most home runs but he has consistently been one of the top producing players at his position since entering the league in 2019. His 82.02 ADP is far earlier than his 113 RotoBaller ranking, and the catching position is getting deeper, but Smith remains a low-risk option on a loaded Dodgers offense with superior injury luck likely.