Why Dom Smith Should Be Your Favorite Player

by The 7 Line March 01, 2021 0 Comments

This is a guest blog by Mark Weiner.

Dominic Smith went from soon-to-be bust to an important member of our beloved Mets.

But I’m not here to tell you why Dom is a great baseball player.

We all know that.

I'm here to tell you Dom Smith should be your favorite player on the Mets and here’s why:

1) He’s humble

Listen to him talk at the end of this clip about how happy he is to be a professional baseball player.

Take a listen. Just such a freakin’ great attitude from Dom Smith. And this isn’t new. He spoke this way last spring too, prior to the breakout season, when playing time was anything but guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/38AoCYBJwz
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) February 25, 2021

How often do you hear that from an athlete?

The self-awareness that so many others want to be doing what he does. Dom wanted more than anything to not just make it to the majors, but to stay there, and he's having an absolute blast doing it.

2) He’s never satisfied

After putting up career numbers last year, Smith's on a mission to get even better. His work ethic reminds me of David Wright.

I recently read “The Captain” by Wright and Anthony DiComo. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend it. Despite being a generational Mets player, Wright never stopped trying to improve his game. While Dom certainly is not at Wright's level just yet, the comparison is there.

You get the feeling that no matter how good of a player Smith becomes, he'll never stop working his butt off to get better.

3) It’s all about the team for him

Fans talk about the team by saying “we,” and so does Dom. Yes, I know Dom is part of the team and has more right to do so, but hearing him stress "we" shows you he thinks about the team first and foremost.

Sure, he has confidence in himself as a baseball player and will occasionally talk about his expectations. But they are always framed in the context of how he can help the team. The team, the team, the team!

"I'm not happy, I'm not happy at all. I won't be happy and satisfied until we're walking away with that World Series ring"

- Dom Smith pic.twitter.com/MsvfWuqFwi
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 25, 2021

It’s obvious how hungry he is to win a World Series for the Mets. He wants to win it for his teammates and more importantly, he wants to win it for us fans.

4) He’s already a leader in the clubhouse

August 27th, 2020 was an emotional day for Dom Smith. With a lot of teams across sports making their voices heard about racial injustice, the Mets turned to Dom for leadership. This moment may not have happened if Dom was not as well respected by his teammates as he is.

The Mets and the Marlins walk off the field after a 42-second moment of silence.

Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson left a T-shirt at home plate, reading "Black Lives Matter"

(via @SNYtv) pic.twitter.com/aEFOeC55eH
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 27, 2020

A leader sets an example for his teammates. David Wright, whom I touched on earlier, did that. He was a man of few words whose voice was only heard when it needed to be. I mentioned a comparison to David Wright earlier, so here is a place they differ. Wright set a work ethic in place for his teammates.

Smith used his actions and words to set a powerful example last season. He has become the type of player you want not only his teammates to look up to, but you want kids to look up to a person like Smith.

One day down the line, I could see Smith following in Wright's footsteps and serving as team captain. Until then, I have no doubt he'll continue to lead by example.

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