4 years agoNew York Mets outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith will be making his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Nationals. Smith will be batting third as the Mets' designated hitter. In 2020, Smith broke out with a .316/.377/.616 slash line, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI. He finished tied for second in the National League with 32 extra-base hits and second overall in the majors with 21 doubles. With the NL unlikely to implement the designated hitter in 2021, Smith should see the bulk of his playing time in left field this season. Smith will also likely spell Pete Alonso at first base on Alonso's off days. Smith can potentially return 30-plus HR and 80-90 RBI (with some slight regression in batting average) over the course of a full season. Of course, there is some risk regarding his overall playing time. If Smith is forced to share time in left field with Brandon Nimmo during the season or is frequently removed for defensive purposes late in games, these counting stat projections would need to be adjusted slightly downward. As a result, managers rostering Smith should be aware of this playing time risk, despite the Mets' best efforts to keep his bat in the lineup on a regular basis.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: Deesha Thosar on Twitter