Dodgers News: Will Smith Admits He Used 2020 Diss as Fuel to Improve Game

Safe to say it worked out well for him!

With how important catcher Will Smith is to the Dodgers success, it can be hard to forget that just a few years ago, he was seen as more of the backup when it mattered most.

During the teams 2020 title run, Smith only caught three of the final eight playoff games. He wasn’t the player to catch the final strike from Julio Urias and the competitor in him didn’t like that feeling at all.

He used that to motivate himself to get ready to take on the fulltime catching duties. Smith wanted to better himself so he would be called upon in the biggest moments. He started to focus on any deficiencies in his game including pitch framing, defense and even how to manage a game more efficiently.

All the hard work and devotion to be great has helped Smith get to where he is today and he is arguably the best catcher in baseball. Smith reflected on everything prior to his first ever All-Star game appearance. 

“That’s all internal motivation,” Smith said this week as he prepared for his first All-Star Game. “It makes you realize that, yeah, I need to get a little better at these aspects of the game. And that’s what I started doing. I started to really learn, when it comes to the game calling and all that. It just takes time.”

Per The LA Times

This season has been great for Smith and he has been a key member to the Dodgers success. For the year, he is hitting .279 with a .889 OPS and 13 home runs. It's been a very strong year for him so far and he even missed some time due to injury otherwise his numbers would likely be even higher. 

His manager Dave Roberts spoke about Smith and how he has grown plus how he likely felt being on the bench for those crucial moments in 2020.

“I do think, yeah, he probably had some disappointment that he wasn’t behind the plate every game [during the 2020 playoffs],” manager Dave Roberts said. But, the skipper added, “There’s always a point where a young player has his teammates view him in a different light, where he graduates essentially.”



Per The LA Times

Smith not being out there for the team in 2020 could have been the best thing for his career. He got a ring out of that season and then used it as motivation. The Dodgers are very grateful to have him on their roster and he should continue to get even better as his career continues on.