The Crane Pool Forum

Signed by the Nationals, metirish first. He seemed a curious draft pick, a first basemen who hadn't developed power yet, but I enjoyed him immensely when he arrived and wish he could've sustained that 2020 success. Good luck, Dom.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/ ... -deal.html

Very likeable guy , I wish him well. Eyes always looked sleepy to me

His season-ending home run on the last swing of 2019 clinched Dom a championship of the Mets fan’s heart.

metirish wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:56 pm Very likeable guy , I wish him well. Eyes always looked sleepy to me

Same on the sleepy eyes. Around these parts, we'd take to calling him "sleepy Dom" when he was in a rut and "woke Dom" when he was hot. May he be forever woke except against us.

Was the Schaefer Mets Player of the Month in August of 2020. Was the Bench Player of the Month six times, an all-time record! (Wilmer Flores is in second place with five.)

He was a lefty-hitting #1 draft pick from California. We hoped he would be another Daryl Strawberry.
We got Dominic Smith.

Later

A king on that swing. A big heart. A chubbiness problem in the minors that he seemed to have licked. As noted, he seemed to have stoned eyes in every photo back then also, but it may well have been the apnea.

Between the weight, the apnea, getting stuck behind Alonso, and the depression, along with alienation that comes from living through the the George Floyd era as a black American man in a conservative sport, he's had a lot of hurdles, and he sure seemed to do his his best to clear them.

Gore and Naquin are the last Mets free agents standing.

That moment I felt the Mets needed enough to keep Dom and trade Roy Pete.

Nobody thought he'd be Strawberry. More like Hernanez-esque

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:14 pm Nobody thought he'd be Strawberry. More like Hernanez-esque

Well, he has the same initials as Darryl Strawberry.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:08 pm
Between the weight, the apnea, getting stuck behind Alonso, and the depression, along with alienation that comes from living through the the George Floyd era as a black American man in a conservative sport, he's had a lot of hurdles, and he sure seemed to do his his best to clear them.

Beautifully put.

kcmets wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:25 pm

That hit me as hard as the first time I saw it.

Never really had a place once Pete hit 53 home runs.

Wish him well, but wish he'd gone out of division. I'm betting he has a great year with a steady job on a no-pressure team.

Lefty Specialist wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 5:10 pm Never really had a place once Pete hit 53 home runs.

Wish him well, but wish he'd gone out of division. I'm betting he has a great year with a steady job on a no-pressure team.

I could see this. First base is his natural position and he's a damn good fielder. Way better than Alonso. Less pressure when you're not out of position.

Always seemed like a decent man with a good heart. Great defensive first baseman, but he was a man without a position with Alonso entrenched at first base. The DH rule seemed to give Dom a shot at a major role with the team, but he was never able to hit consistently to lay claim to the role.

I wish him well in Washington.

Seemed like a nice guy, but when Pete came along, there was no place for him to play.

I remember him best when someone had a walk-off hit. Dom was injured and used a scooter for one leg and came onto the field to join the celebration.

“The never say die Mets finish the season on an INCREDIBLE note!”

G-Fafif wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:01 pm His season-ending home run on the last swing of 2019 clinched Dom a championship of the Mets fan’s heart.

That was a great moment. If you're going to miss the playoffs, then ending a season on a walk off home run in the 11th inning is a pretty good substitute.

We got to watch him quite a bit here in Syracuse this past summer. He was an easy guy to root for.

I know, funny right? People say I look
like I'm always stoned or something.

I'm high on life, not reefer!

Definitely an easy guy to root for. He thrived under Chili Davis, but none of our other hitting coaches seemed to get him. The Nats are a good landing spot for him, even though he stays in the division.

This is a great landing spot for him, too. Rebuilding team where he should get plenty of low-pressure ABs in a park and division he's familiar with.

mostly disappointing tenure for a guy who was probably drafted too highly given the position he plays. too much has to go right for a first baseman who doesn't have 40 homer power to become worth a 1st round pick.

Nobody has 40-homer power coming out of high school, though. You do your best to make projections, it works out for five to seven teams, and everybody else chalks it off to experience.

The first 30 picks that year were pretty much Kris Bryant and everybody else. Aaron Judge went with a supplemental pick between rounds.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:50 pm Nobody has 40-homer power coming out of high school, though. You do your best to make projections, it works out for five to seven teams, and everybody else chalks it off to experience.

The first 30 picks that year were pretty much Kris Bryant and everybody else. Aaron Judge went with a supplemental pick between rounds.

Hunter Renfroe, JP Crawford, and Tim Anderson went within 6 picks after Smith. They've all produced 10+ WAR - none are great hitters, but its a different baseline when you produce defensive value.

Smith was not PROJECTED to have that power either from what I recall.

I don't know anybody projected to hit 40 homeruns in the big leagues at 18, but yes, he was projected to develop power, by both the Mets and outside rankers. I mean, look at him. He's got the strength, he's got the swing, and he's got the bat speed. And he has shown what he can do, power-wise, if not consistency-wise. I think if you review reports from the time, you'd generally see a 65 rating for his power potential.

I am not happy that he’s gone.