Why Scout Believes Dom Smith Was a Good Addition For The Yankees

An anonymous scout thought the Yankees signing first baseman Dom Smith was a "good signing."
Jul 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith (2) runs out the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Dominic Smith (2) runs out the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have been very busy this offseason, as they try to bolster their roster and return to the World Series even after losing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets.

Despite signing veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal last month and having promising young first baseman Ben Rice, the Yankees added another first baseman as YES Network insider Jack Curry reported on Monday that New York signed Dominic Smith to a minor league deal.

Smith, 29, was a former first-round pick (11th overall) by the Mets in the 2013 MLB Draft, but failed to live up to the expectations of being the team's first baseman of the future. Since being let go by the Mets, Smith played for the Washington Nationals during the 2023 season and bounced around four major league clubs in 2024, including an 84-game stint with the Boston Red Sox.

Even though Smith has not been able to produce as much at the big league level as anticipated, the Bronx Bombers adding the journeyman first baseman was deemed a good move by an anonymous scout. Speaking with Randy Miller of New Jersey Advanced Media by phone, the scout thought the Yankees adding Smith was a "good signing."

"This is a good signing for the Yankees," the scout told Miller. "Good kid, good defensive player. Smith’s drawback is he’s not a big runner and he has never hit for big power.”

The reason for the scout being asked to remain anonymous was due to his current team not permitting him to comment publicly on opposing players.

Smith, who made his debut for the Mets during the 2017 season, has slashed .246/.313/.403 during his eight seasons in the major leagues with 64 home runs, 259 RBI, and a .716 OPS. His best season came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the Mets, slashing .316/.377/.616 (all career-highs) with 10 home runs, 42 RBI, and a personal-best .993 OPS in 50 games.

Since that productive season on offense, however, the first baseman's production on offense declined. After a down season in 2021 with the Mets and spending the majority of the 2022 season in the minor leagues, Smith has been unable to find any sustainable success at the big league level.

Still, this anonymous scout believes that adding a player like Smith is a good depth piece for the Yankees to potentially play behind the 37-year-old Goldschmidt; this also gives Rice, who has maintained his rookie status, time to develop further after showing promise last season in 50 games played.


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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets and Yankees websites. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan