Dominic Smith (1B/OF, NYM) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 6% of leagues

ANALYSIS: After a promising 2019 campaign, Dominic Smith gathered a fair bit of buzz throughout spring drafts. The concern was that Smith had no clear route to playing time for the Mets and was likely a bench bat. Those concerns were justified as Smith featured just three times (two starts) in the Mets first eight games. But with Yoenis Cespedes opting out, more playing time has opened up and Smith has featured in 12 games so far in August.

The increased playing time has been warranted as Smith leads the Mets in homers (five), RBI (fourteen) and slugging percentage (.717) of players with at least 20 plate appearances. His numbers don't scream off the page but even in such a small sample size, he's got an impressive 17.1% Barrel Rate, which ranks in the 93rd percentile among MLB hitters. Statcast does show his .283 batting average is fortunate and has his expected average at .244 which is more in line with his career average of .240. But for now, Smith is one of the league's hottest hitters and has forced the Mets to find a spot in the lineup for him. He's on the stronger side of any potential platoon and has dual position eligibility for fantasy which has become more important this year. Smith should be added in all leagues with 14+ teams.