After harsh criticism, New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith has taken successful strides towards better conditioning for 2018.
The Dom Smith experiment at first base towards the end of the 2017 season did not exactly go as planned.
The 22-year-old slashed a putrid .198/.262/.395 in his 49 game debut. Even though he was able to produce nine home runs in just 167 ABs, not much else went right.
Beyond the hitting statistics, Smith looked out of shape and limited in the field. These observations were also made by the front office.
“Dominic’s going to have to be careful about his conditioning, certainly in the next few years if not throughout his career.”
Sandy Alderson on Dom Smith
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) November 14, 2017
A player never wants to be critiqued for their conditioning, and Smith is no different. It seems like the young lefty has used Alderson’s comments as motivation.
Dom Smith says he has lost 11-12 pounds since the season ended. He looks it.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) November 29, 2017
Not only is he looking slimmer, losing a dozen pounds is a great start for a player who is on the hot seat to produce in 2018.
There are no direct lines that can be drawn between a player’s weight and his productivity on the diamond. Prince Fielder played at upwards of 275 pounds for the better part of his career.
That did not stop him from earning six all-star selections.
We’ll never be able to know if Smith’s added weight affected his play drastically. For all we know, he could have struggled in his first stint against major league pitching.
Or maybe it was the 153 games played and 683 plate appearances he was exposed to in 2017 across the major league and Triple-A levels, which were both career highs.
With his sights set on maintaining his job in 2018, Smith will continue to be on top of his diet and weight.
Dom Smith on his weight: "This is something I want to get under control and never make an issue again. I would rather go through this at 22 than go through this in my prime."
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) November 29, 2017
He understands the importance of this offseason and the gravity of the situation. In the end, it seems like his weight issue may be an overblown headline. Then again, it never hurts to be in pristine shape when you are a professional athlete.
