Legend of Dominic Smith Continues to Build in Braves Lore

Dominic Smith delivered in the clutch once again for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. With the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, he belted a shot into the left-field gap to plate three and put the Braves in position to win 6-5.

He got the Braves on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. He then capped off scoring.

That walk-off grand slam would have been enough to have etched him into the memory of many. But he’s continued to bring that same approach that has allowed him to deliver consistently.

“I’m taking it one day at a time, one moment at a time, and this team has welcomed me with open arms from day one, and it’s just been a ride,” Smith said of his first few weeks with the Braves.

It can't be stressed enough that he was someone who signed after spring training started. He was initially in camp on a minor league contract, and he wasn't added to the roster until days before opening day. Some things just play out the way they do because it is simply meant to be.

His 1.099 OPS is the best by a Braves player in his first 14 games with the team since Vaughn Grissom posted a 1.123 OPS in his first 14 games of the 2022 season. His 15 RBIs are a new career high in that same span to open the season, and He is the first Braves DH to have that many RBIs in such a span.

On top of that, his batting average is pushing toward .400, which, to be there, even though a few weeks' worth of games is impressive.

It’s a mindset that he felt he strayed away from when he was younger, and he had to work his way back. He felt that embracing the identity of what he views as the ideal hitter has helped his approach.

“I’ve always wanted to be a high-average guy, and I think if you’re a high-average guy, that’s when you kind of get labeled that professional hitter,” he said. “... Like I said, getting away from that early in my career kind of hurt me. So, I’m just trying to be who I am, and that’s who I am.”

He’s been able to refine his craft further and be the professional hitter he wants to be by applying wisdom from some of the most elite minds the game has seen. Back in San Francisco, he got the chance to chat with Barry Bonds, and then Chipper Jones when he arrived in Atlanta.

There are things you could potentially hear for years, but once it comes from that angle and that voice, it sinks in a way it may not have otherwise.

“That’s just helped my game. Like I said, I talked to Barry last year, and it was so crazy, like how his mind works,” he said. “And you wouldn’t even think some of the things how he thought when he attacked the game.”

Even when Bonds became known for home runs, the mindset, according to Smith, was to hit .300 and get 200 hits. While Bonds never had more than 181 hits in a season, he batted .300 in 11 different seasons. You can see how the mindset translated.

Meanwhile, Jones talked with Smith about how it’s OK to set the pitcher up for something later in the at-bat. It’s a game within the game that puts him in a spot to have these big hits.

This type of approach allows him to be what he describes as a pest at the plate. He wants to deliver and have those big hits, but he also wants to be a tough out. Given that he’s posting one of his lowest strikeout rates (16.2%) and one of his highest line-drive rates (34.5%) so far in 2026, focusing on getting solid contact is working for him.

A few weeks into the season, he’s been able to get himself on a dream run. It started with a moment where he was able to honor his late mother, and it has continued ever since. The team embraced him, and he has only returned the favor.

Regardless of how long this run actually continues, he's already made a mark. An addition that most likely didn't think much of back in mid-February has evolved into a living, active part of Braves lore.

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