Pavin Smith Quietly Building His Own Brand of Pavin Power

The Arizona Diamondbacks might've found their long-term left-handed DH, or at least for this season. It was clear during the offseason that the team was stern in their belief that Pavin Smith can hit and excel as the DH.

So far, through an admittedly small sample size, it's working out after Smith was one of the stars of the team's first win of the season on Friday night.

He went 3-for-4 after going 0-for-2 on Opening Day. Smith recorded three hard-hit balls for two doubles and an RBI along with two runs scored.

This happened after a strong Spring Training in which he hit .298 with an OPS of .875 thanks to 14 hits, including two home runs, and 9 RBI in just 47 at-bats. It showed that Smith's continuing the breakout that he had late last year.

After the game, Smith spoke to reporters about his swing, the game, and how he's doing at the plate.

"It definitely feels good. Want to keep that feeling going, that momentum going. And definitely feel good in the box right now," Smith said.

Smith shared how he always wants to send the crowd, especially a large crowd, home happy with a win, and that it felt good to get that first win in the books.

He said Spring Training helped him get into rhythm, "100%, that's what Spring is for. To find that rhythm and find something's that going to work for you during the year."

Eugenio Suarez has homered three times in two games and has been on a tear at the plate since July of 2024. Over that span, he's on pace for over 50 homers in a 162-game span. Smith told what it's like to have such a hot hitter, and what Suarez does for the lineup.

"It's great. I told him before the game that I'm in front of him so I'm going to get a lot of fastballs soon. I did. He's hit their starter well in the past and kept going [Friday night]," Smith said.

Smith is set up to be the regular DH against right-handed pitchers, and maybe see a couple of games in the field. Being a DH isn't for everyone as it involves a lot of patience, waiting, and the acceptance that you aren't going to be able to help the team beyond hitting and if that doesn't go well, then it's hard to handle.

However, it seems that Smith has developed a strong routine for dealing with the pressures of it and being able to stay ready while sitting on the bench for much of the game. In fact, he says he enjoys it.

"It's definitely something that doesn't come easy for everyone. Got a lot of time to think about your at-bats in-between. I found sort of a routine of getting to go into the cage, getting to swing in between so I've taken some advantages from it for sure.

"I do like it, especially when you good nights at the plate. The harder nights when you don't play well, it's definitely harder because you feel like you did nothing. Nights like tonight, it's good," Smith said.

Smith was asked if he feels he needs to be similar to Joc Pederson from last year or if he learned anything from Pederson on how to be a DH considering the amount of success that Pederson had with Arizona in 2024.

"No, I'm not going to try to be like Joc. I definitely learned from him, how he went about it, but not trying to emulate him or try to be him. ... He did it in his own way, and I definitely learned a couple of things from him doing it," Smith said.