6 years agoThe Dominic Smith era has officially begun for the New York Mets, although it probably wasn’t the result everyone was looking for in game one after being handed the reigns at first base. It wasn’t a bad effort, just an underwhelming one with Smith finishing 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. On a night where nobody on the Mets offense did much of anything, we’ll take it. Despite now being given the keys to the first base castle in Queens, Smith isn’t exactly in an enviable situation. After struggling upon his initial call-up last summer, the Mets seemed to sour on him when they not only re-signed part-time first baseman Jay Bruce this past winter, but also brought in the clearly past-his-prime Adrian Gonzalez to man first base until now. Plus, Smith largely struggled in Triple-A Las Vegas this year (in the hitter-friendly PCL) and now has the mashing prospect Peter Alonso breathing down his neck in the minor leagues. The seventh overall selection in the 2013 MLB draft is going to need to produce over the season’s final three-and-a-half months if he wants to figure into the organization’s long-term plans.--John Smith
Source: ESPN