Pavin Smith Excited to Travel Back to Florida

The Diamondbacks DH/1B gets to return home and revisit past success

Like most players that get to travel back to their home cities during the baseball season, Pavin Smith is relishing the opportunity to head back to Miami this weekend.  The Jupiter, Florida native spoke about the Diamondbacks upcoming road trip just before the getaway game on Wednesday.

"It's always a good time, I get to see family and feel the humidity that I got to grow up in. I'm pretty excited, and we've got an off day, which is nice. I get to see the beach, the ocean"

The familiar environment and the warmth of being with family and friends seems to have done him well so far in his career when traveling back to the Sunshine State.

Smith has hit .273/.304/.591 in five career games at loanDepot Park, with two homers and three RBI.  One of the biggest moments of his career, was when he hit a go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the 9th, leading to an 8-7 D-backs win that finished a sweep of the Marlins.  

#Dbacks DH/1B Pavin Smith is returning to his home state of Florida where he had a triumphant return last year, including a go ahead game winning homer in top of the ninth on 5/4/23

Pavin Smith homers in back to back games in Miami https://t.co/Q7PE661evG #MLBFilmRoom via @MLB

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) April 13, 2023

Asked if there was anything special about playing in that park that gives him an advantage he took a conservative stance. 

"I just go in there with the same mindset that I do any game. I think the comfort of just being in Florida helps. But I just go out there and play the same game and try to have some success there"

There will be a large contingent of family and friends attending the series and ready to cheer him on. He threw his head back and laughed when asked how many ticket requests he had. "I haven't counted yet, but probably a decent amount."

Smith has been given a new opportunity due to the recent undisclosed illness to outfielder/DH Kyle Lewis. It's not clear when Lewis will rejoin the team, but manager Torey Lovullo hinted it may be a while and that Lewis will require a rehab stint to "build his strength back up" once he is cleared to play again. 

No stranger to bad luck, Smith had a tough break, literally, last year.  Sent down to Triple-A Reno at the end of June to work on some things after an extensive slump, the team intended for his stint there to be a short one, perhaps a week at most.  But two games in he was hit by a pitch, fracturing his wrist. He missed the next two months and only made it back to the major league roster for the final two weeks of the season. 

It was a frustrating year all around for Smith. After posting league average numbers (98 OPS+) through his first 589 career plate appearances, last year's struggles saw him fall to 89 OPS+ in 277 PA. Known to have level, contact oriented swing, he uncharacteristically struck out in over 24% of his PA. 

Despite a good spring training in which he hit over .300, he was beat out by Lewis for the last position player spot on the Opening Day roster. In two games since being recalled however he's started off well, going 3-for-8 with two doubles and four RBI.  No longer being asked to play out of position like he was in 2021,  the bulk of his playing time will likely come at DH or backing up Christian Walker at first base. 

The #7 overall draft pick in 2017, Smith has had a lot of expectations put on them, and while he hasn't always met them on the field, he's maintained a positive attitude and is well like by his teammates. Most importantly he has never forgotten the love and sacrifices his family made for him to have this opportunity.  The character of the young man was never clearer than when he used his signing bonus money to give his parents a once in a life Christmas gift by paying off their family home mortgage.