Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Calls Will Smith a ‘Top 3 Catcher’ in MLB
Dodgers catcher Will Smith is off to a scorching start this season. In five games, Smith is slashing .421/.478/1.000 with three home runs, a league-best 10 RBIs, two doubles, three walks, just two strikeouts and an incredible OPS of 1.478.
Smith has hit a home run in three straight games, and is proving to be one of the best hitters in baseball, let alone just at the catcher position.
Smith has always had a great bat, though, as Dodger fans know.
Over the last two seasons, Smith has hit a combined 49 home runs while driving in 163 RBIs. He’s been a consistent bat in the lineup, and always comes through in the biggest moments.
With all that being said, Smith, somehow, has never made an All-Star team. He’s been more than deserving, but has consistently been overlooked.
That should change this season, especially if Smith continues to play at the level he’s performing right now. But All-Star or not, his manager Dave Roberts knows he’s one of the best catchers in baseball.
“I think he’s one of the top three catchers in all of baseball,” Roberts said. “I think him, you’ve got to put [J.T.] Realmuto and [Adley] Rutschman in that conversation. … Given his ability to post and work both sides of the baseball, hit in the middle of the order — you don’t find guys like that. … He’s a superstar.”
Bill Plunkett, OC Register
Many people around the game of baseball were worried that the Dodgers lineup would take a huge step back with the loss of Trea Turner. However, Smith has seamlessly transitioned into that 3-hole, and has provided tons of power and the ability to drive in runs. When you’re hitting behind two of baseball’s best players in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, that’s all you can ask for.
Smith has a few more years of arbitration before being eligible for free agency in 2026. The Dodgers are in an interesting position because they have Smith — one of the best catchers in baseball — and an up-and-coming star in Diego Cartaya, the team’s No. 1 overall prospect who also plays the catcher position.
The emergence of Cartaya had people thinking the Dodgers should trade Smith — I’m glad those people don’t run the Dodgers — but I think they should find a way to keep both.
Cartaya is still young enough to learn an infield spot (and told dodgersnation.com that he’s open to it), while Smith, as he ages, could work some third base, a position he’s played just two innings before at the big league level.
However, trading Smith is far from the answer, as I’ll go a step above Roberts and say Smith is a top two catcher in baseball. And in the words of Drake, I would even go as far as saying Smith is top two, and he’s not two.
Will Smith is the best catcher in baseball. He’s going to be an All-Star this season, and he’s only going to keep getting better. The Dodgers shouldn’t waste any time — the sooner they get him locked up, the sooner they can start figuring out how to make him and Cartaya work together.
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