Lauded by coaches, peers, 'superstar' Smith's hard work paying off

Will Smith did about everything he could. He had established himself as one of the best hitting catchers in baseball and was hitting cleanup for a team that ultimately won 111 games during the regular season.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Tuesday on FOX, 5 p.m. PT

But when the final ballots came in, he wasn’t an All-Star in 2022. At first there was natural disappointment for Smith, who would have liked to participate in the game held at Dodger Stadium, his home ballpark.

“It’s life; you can’t always get what you want,” Smith said. “I learned that at a young age. It’s an honor when you are voted in. But if you’re not -- I couldn’t be mad about it.”

After maybe a day of disappointment, Smith was ready to move on to his next challenge: Be the best catcher in the league.

So far this season, Smith is making quite the case. Despite missing time with a concussion, Smith is now among the league leaders in just about every offensive category. He has also taken huge jumps defensively and often draws good reviews from his pitching staff.

This year, Smith wasn’t going to be denied an opportunity to represent the National League in the Midsummer Classic. After initially losing the fan vote to the Braves’ Sean Murphy, Smith was voted in by his peers as a reserve. Smith is joined by teammates Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez and Clayton Kershaw.

“It’s a dream come true as a kid,” Smith said. “It’s a lot of hard work. A lot of hard work over the last several years. A lot of people helped me along the way. It’s a way to celebrate having a good year, I’ll enjoy it and I’m looking forward to it.”

That hard work Smith talks about began immediately after being drafted No. 32 overall by the Dodgers out of the University of Louisville in 2016. In his first taste of pro ball, Smith struggled offensively, hitting just four homers and posting a .684 OPS in 55 games across three levels. Despite some of those struggles, the Dodgers still felt comfortable promoting him all the way up to High-A Great Lakes because of his advanced tools.

In 2017, those tools started to flash as Smith hit 11 homers with a .803 OPS in 72 games at High-A. The following season, Smith’s stock skyrocketed as he hit 19 homers at Double-A Tulsa. Late into the ‘19 season, the Dodgers decided to start carrying Smith on their big league roster.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot with my approach, my swing, and catching and calling a game,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve learned in all aspects, maybe a little bit at a time and that’s what you’re always trying to do, improve a little bit day in and day out.”

During his first taste in the Majors, Smith took the opportunity to learn just about everyone in the building. Outside of his explosive bat-to-ball skills at the plate, his ability to blend into a crowd and still have a distinct presence is what has impressed the Dodgers the most.

Smith doesn’t say much. Earlier this season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts even joked that Smith is “pretty vanilla,” but when he does speak up, he usually has something to say.

“It’s just being aware of what’s going on,” Smith said, “not getting caught up in the moment. Not being too emotional about everything. And then you see the value in it and then you make sure to stay level-headed and ride the highs and lows.”

After a couple of years of being overlooked at the position, Smith is now one of the best backstops in the Majors. He’s done it on his terms, and now he’ll get to show the rest of the baseball world what the Dodgers have known for years.

“I think that he’s one of the top three catchers in all of baseball,” Roberts said. “He’s a superstar and that probably makes him uncomfortable. But given his ability to post and work both sides of the baseball, hit in the middle of the order, you don’t find guys like that.”