Atlanta Braves’ Dominic Smith Could Be MLB’s Biggest Underdog Story In Years

Yahoo SportsYesterday1 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Dominic Smith, a 30-year-old first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, has emerged as a surprising success story after signing a minor league deal in February. He debuted with a walk-off grand slam and is currently hitting .395 with three homers and 15 RBIs over 14 games.

The Atlanta Braves are littered with stars like outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., first baseman Matt Olson, and starting pitcher Chris Sale, but first baseman/designated hitter Dominic Smith is their surprise success story early on.

The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Braves in February, but the organization gave him a split major league contract on March 21. The 5-foot-11, 224-pounder then hit a walk-off grand slam in his team debut on March 28, and he's been hot ever since.

Smith is slashing .395/.415/.684 with three homers and 15 RBIs over 14 contests thus far. That slash line is unsustainable, but he'll be one of the most unexpected breakout players in years if he even approaches a .300 batting average over a full season.

Dominic Smith Could Elevate Braves

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith (8). © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Smith has plenty of big-league experience, as he debuted for the New York Mets in 2017 and has 769 games under his belt. However, he's played 100-plus games in a season just twice, and his OPS was below .700 in both years.

Q&A

What are Dominic Smith's current batting statistics with the Atlanta Braves?

Dominic Smith is currently slashing .395/.415/.684 with three home runs and 15 RBIs over 14 games.

How did Dominic Smith join the Atlanta Braves?

Dominic Smith signed a minor league deal with the Braves in February and received a split major league contract on March 21.

What was Dominic Smith's notable achievement in his debut game?

In his debut game on March 28, Dominic Smith hit a walk-off grand slam.