6 years agoAnother night, another underwhelming result for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak. In a 4-1 loss, Smoak finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Smoak is now hitless in his last five games, a span that has seen him go 0-for-16 in total. For the season, he’s now slashing a meager .234/.371/.425 (.796 OPS) with nine home runs, 31 runs scored and 33 RBI. For a guy who broke out at age 30 in 2017 with a .529 slugging percentage and .884 OPS, to call Smoak’s 2018 season disappointing thus far would be an understatement. The most noticeable difference between 2017 and 2018 for Smoak is his hard-hit rate, which has fallen from 39.4 percent to 31.1 percent. He needs to make much better contact before we see him turn it around.--John Smith
Source: ESPN