Braves helped Dominic Smith through tragedy. Now he's paying them back

Yahoo Sports3h ago21 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Dominic Smith, now the primary designated hitter for the Atlanta Braves, reflects on his journey through uncertainty in baseball. He emphasizes the importance of faith and perspective in overcoming personal and professional challenges.

Key points

Dominic Smith is the primary designated hitter for the Atlanta Braves.
He has faced uncertainty in his baseball career for the past three years.
Smith emphasizes faith and perspective in overcoming challenges.
The Braves have supported him through personal tragedies.

Dominic SmithAtlanta Braves

WASHINGTON – For the past three years, Dominic Smith has waited for the phone to ring, for a guaranteed job to emerge, for an assurance that his baseball life will continue unfettered.

Then the winter will grow colder, the employment offers no less certain, and Smith will steel himself for the weeks ahead: A spring training invite, a job to win, perhaps an opt-out to find greener pastures, or a humbling trip to the minor leagues that would seem beneath a valued veteran first baseman.

And then Smith, now 30, returns to his mantras of faith and self-confidence to realize another team will recognize his skills, but perhaps most important his humanity that can galvanize a clubhouse over however long a team will have him around for the 162-game grind.

Through it all, Smith’s belief will not waver.

“It’s never stressful,” Smith, now the primary designated hitter for the Atlanta Braves, tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s a blessing to play this game – whether it’s overseas, if it’s in Triple-A. This is a game. Life is way more important outside of the game to put that much stress on yourself.

“I just believe in God and believe God is always going to make things work. And look where I’m at.

“That’s why I have this mindset.”

Dominic Smith reacts after a home run in Arizona.

This spring, it has guided him not just through professional uncertainty but also personal tragedy.

Smith did not sign with the Braves until Feb. 19, a week after spring training camp opened. It was then that his mother, Yvette LaFleur, nearly perished after she was diagnosed with cancer in September. It left Smith in a near-impossible position: Aiming to make the team while balancing his mother’s diminishing time left.

He left camp for one week to be at Yvette’s side in Los Angeles, then returned to Florida to win a job. She died while he was away.

What’s transpired since says even more about Smith.