Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Dave Roberts Says Will Smith’s Issues Have Been Fixed

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday that Will Smith’s recent struggles are due to mechanical issues within his stance and swing. He also said that they have since been fixed by hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

This is a great development out of Friday’s media scrum. Smith, one of the most promising of the Dodgers’ rookies in terms of playoff equity, has seen a downturn in his output recently. Since August 23, Smith is slashing just .152/.222/.242 with one home run and three runs batted in. Prior to that date, Smith was slashing an elite .304/.377/.783 with 12 home runs and 31 runs batted in.

There have been struggles, but it is fantastic to hear that Smith has been ‘fixed’ by the Dodgers’ contingent of hitting gurus.

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Simply put, the Dodgers desperately need him to hit as they will not receive any substantial offensive output from any of the other catchers on the 40-man roster. Russell Martin, the current backup, plays because of the veteran presence on the roster and to occasionally spell Will Smith. Austin Barnes, who was called up before Friday’s game, will also factor into the backstop mix down the stretch.

Collectively, Smith is slashing .273/.348/.661 with a 152 wRC+ and 13 home runs across 39 games in his rookie campaign.

Daniel Preciado

My name is Daniel Preciado and I am 19 years old. I am a sophomore Sport Analytics major and Cognitive Science and Economics dual minor at Syracuse University. When I am not in New York, I live in Whittier, California --- not too far from Chavez Ravine. I am pretty old-school for being an analytics guy and I will always embrace debate. Also, Chase Utley did absolutely nothing wrong.

10 Comments

  1. Hope this this is the case. Will was not going to keep the home run pace; but certainly hope he gets the average settled in at .280+. We’ve had a #8 hitter problem most of the year. Will had pretty much solved that dilemna.

    1. Agree! need guys batting #8 in the line up to make contact and turn the lineup over.

      Starting pitching is a real concern as Kershaw, Ryu and Buehler have had multiple bad starts. Starting pitching is what gave the Dodgers the great record they have. The Dodgers will face elite pitching in the Playoffs. They need to get their pitchers back on track as the BP can be terrifying…

  2. Didn’t look like it last night or is he trying to claim it was fixed over night? We’ll find out tonight

  3. he has fallen into the same rut as the rest of the team…….hit the home run……and that only increases the chances of strikeouts…(which are numerous in every game)…seeing the veterans jawing with the umpires and not producing…..different spot in line-up to bat…..and the worst…….produce or barnes will replace you……is it really worth it or do I go to another team?… is getting promoted to majors really worth it? Smith has lots of potential if used properly………and the team shows they are not up to par on managing

    1. Go to another team if you can’t appreciate the best team in Los Angeles Dodgers history. You really felt the need to post this crud?

  4. lets hope Smith can just hit 250 the rest of the way. 150 is even more attrocious than Barnes. I’m starting Martin in the playoff’s. He has the best OBP on the team.

    1. Martin does not have the best OBP on the team. Among players with 100 or more plate appearances, he is seventh. This took me 20 seconds to look up. Why couldn’t you look up before posting something false as fact?

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