The Los Angeles Dodgers are filled with talent and depth at every position going into the 2021 regular season, and perhaps none more than at catcher.
Not only do the Dodgers have a pair of top prospects at the position in Keibert Ruiz and Diego Cartaya, but they also have arguably the best young catcher in baseball in Will Smith and a backup that’s capable of being a starter in Austin Barnes.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week he doesn’t see Barnes as a true backup and he should get a lot of playing time this year.
Smith is the Dodgers’ present and future at the position though, and the 25-year-old seems to be getting better and better every year.
He has already found his form at the plate, slashing .268/.363/.574 in 91 career big league games. Perhaps his biggest weakness to this point has been managing the pitching staff, which could be expected from a young catcher.
Smith has been working to improve that though and has been learning a lot in his short time with the team. “It’s being confident in my opinions, what fingers I’m putting down and having a reason for what I’m calling,” he said.
“For what I see and what I communicate to them. It’s just being confident. It’s a veteran staff and they know what they’re doing, but at the same time they run into times where they don’t know exactly what they want to do to a certain guy or what to throw.
“It’s just being there, earning trust in those situations for when they don’t know exactly what they want to do. I’m there and Barnesy is there to kind of help guide them. I’ve definitely learned a whole lot the last few years from them. You see what they do well, what they don’t do well, how they react in certain situations.
“I definitely feel like I have a better understanding from when I first got called up and was in big league games with these guys. I’ve definitely learned a whole bunch these last couple years, but I’m still learning.
“There’s still times where I don’t know exactly where I want to go, but these guys are so good, you don’t have to necessarily be right 100% of the time. They can get away with stuff in those gray areas, and that’s why they’re so good.”
In addition to the improvements defensively, Smith also wants to continue to produce at the plate to help his team win. “Personally, I’ve always felt a responsibility to the team,” he said.
“I think that comes with playing different positions. As a catcher/infielder coming up, I just tried to help the team win. Yeah, as a catcher, the most important thing is your relationship with the pitcher and trust between us.
“But ultimately I’m trying to help the team win. I can do that every night behind the plate, but I can also help out offensively most nights. That’s how I go about it.”
Smith feels he is top five catcher
When MLB Network’s The Shredder came out with its top-10 position rankings, Smith came in at No. 3 at the catcher position.
Despite his limited experience, Smith feels that he is definitely a top-five catcher and will only continue to get better. “But I’ve never really compared myself to others,” he added.
“I can control what I can control, and on a baseball field that’s not much. I just try to help the team win and keep going from there. Do what I can to help us win each given night.”
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