With the GM Meetings kicking off in Orlando, news and rumors run rampant among the 30 major league clubs. Mets GM Sandy Alderson talked about potential upgrades the team will need to make this off-season and of those, first base seemed to be a striking topic. For many, most assumed that young and upcoming slugger Dominic Smith would be a lock there after getting called up towards the end of the season in August. Surprisingly, that does not seem to be the case. Sandy was very vocal about how he felt about Dom and to be honest, it wasn’t pretty.
Will Dom Smith have to win the first base job in spring training? "He didn't win it in September, let's put it that way," Alderson said.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) November 13, 2017
Shocking to say at the very least. Smith had a moderate showing in his short time in the big leagues slashing .198/.262/.395 in 183 PA with 33 hits, 9 HRs and 33 RBIs. The most alarming thing, however, was his strikeouts which totaled at 49. There is plenty that needs to be worked on with Smith but the team has to realize he is a still just a young kid at just 22-years-old. Smith has a lot of upside and we know he is capable of big things after raking in Las Vegas this past year. I know Sandy likes Smith and it obvious he is trying to send a message to him. I think this is clearly evident when he had another straight to the point message in saying “Dominic’s going to have to be careful about his conditioning, certainly in the next few years if not throughout his career.”
Dominic Smith celebrates with third base coach Glenn Sherlock as he runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning. (Frank Franklin II | AP Photo)
To me, I do think Sandy is right. Smith does need a wake up call and has to get into better shape for the next season. What I do not think is right is publicly blasting him about this issue. Some may say since it is publicized, it puts more pressure on him to follow through with Sandy’s words but in my opinion, this was the wrong thing to do. If they are really unsure about Dom and think about moving on from him, Sandy and the rest of the FO have completed ruined any trade value he had. Say the Mets sign a new first baseman and decide they want use Smith as a trade piece, I feel most teams will shy away from him because most GMs will think he isn’t a good player and doesn’t care about his health. I think the topic of Dom and first base is something to keep an eye on as Winter Meetings fast approach.
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