Will Smith's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith are finalizing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. The 28-year-old has been one of the most productive offensive catchers since entering the big leagues in the 2019 season, putting together a career .263 average with 91 home runs and an .842 OPS across 486 games played. Most recently, he hit .261 with 19 home runs, 80 runs, 76 RBI, and a .797 OPS across 554 trips to the plate in the 2023 season. ATC projects Smith to club 21 home runs along with 74 RBI and an .823 OPS in 124 games in the 2024 season as he is every bit worthy of his 80.46 ADP as the fourth catcher off the draft board this spring.

The Los Angeles Dodgers said that they scratched catcher Will Smith (back) from Wednesday's Cactus League finale due to lower-back tightness. With Smith sitting out, Austin Barnes will start behind the plate for the Blue. Smith's back injury doesn't sound serious at all, but the Dodgers aren't going to take any chances with their starting backstop with the team's first regular season game coming next week in Korea against the San Diego Padres. With spring training now over for Smith, he finishes with two home runs and five RBI in nine Cactus League contests. As one of the best all-around offensive catchers in the game in one of the best lineups in baseball, Smith is considered RotoBaller's No. 3 overall fantasy catcher, behind only Adley Rutschman and J.T. Realmuto.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's Cactus League victory against the arch rival San Francisco Giants. The backstop is now hitting .280 with two round trippers and five RBI over his first 25 at-bats. The backstop put together another strong season in 2023 with 19 homers, 76 RBI and a .261 batting average. Smith, 28, remains one of the best offensive backstops in all of baseball with his ability to hit for both average and power. The combination of that in one of the leagues best lineups is a recipe for success. There aren't many catchers that can do what Smith does with the bat and managers should expect him to be one of the first off the board in all formats.

There have been no extension talks between the Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith so far this year. Smith's numbers dropped slightly in 2023, but he was also playing a majority of the season with a broken rib and also missed time due to a concussion. Still, he was able to finish third among catchers with a minimum of 400 plate appearances in wRC+ last year. The 28-year-old was a first-time All-Star and was one of the better offensive backstops in the game with a .261/.359/.438 slash line, 19 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 76 RBI, three stolen bases and a career-high 80 runs scored in 126 regular-season games. Not only has Smith been durable for fantasy managers, but he has 68 homers and 239 RBI in the last three seasons. He's easily a top-five fantasy catcher.

Catcher Will Smith and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by settling on an $8.55 million salary for the 2024 season, according to a source. It's a record for a second-time arbitration-eligible catcher. It's also a $3.3 million raise from what he earned in 2023. Smith was a first-time All-Star last season despite a slight drop in his numbers. He finished with a .261/.359/.438 slash line with 19 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 76 RBI, three stolen bases and a career-high 80 runs scored in 126 total games played. At the weak catcher position in fantasy, those numbers are still well above-average. The 28-year-old backstop is one of just five catchers to score 80 runs in the last 15 seasons. Smith will be one of the first few catchers off the board yet again in fantasy drafts this spring.