Baltimore Orioles: A Look at 5 Potential Dodgers Prospects in a Machado Trade
By Ben Palmer
5. Will Smith — C
Will Smith was a first-round draft pick (32nd overall) by the Dodgers in the 2016 MLB Draft’s compensatory round, making him the first catcher taken by the Dodgers int he first round of the draft since they picked Paul Konerko in 1993.
Smith is a solid athlete and actually has halfway-decent speed for a catcher. In 2017 between High-A and Double-A, Smith stole seven bases in 73 games, which is roughly a 14-15 steal season pace.
But what makes Smith interesting is his quality fielding. As a catcher, he’s got a solid but not incredible arm, but he makes up for that with quick feet, which helped him throw out 48% of runners in 2017.
The big question with Smith will be his offensive production. Last season in 72 games in High-A (he had just one game in Double-A), he slashed .232/.355/.448 with 11 home runs. The average is rough, but his 12.1% walk rate on the year is certainly encouraging.
He seems to have taken a step forward this year, however, slashing .286/.384/.589 with 15 home runs over 53 games in Double-A this year, putting him on pace for roughly a 35 home run season if given a full year. Granted, that’s punctuated by an inflated 29.4% HR/FB rate, but still, he’s hitting exceptionally well this year.