Dodgers' Will Smith Leads All MLB Catchers in Unfortunate Category

Sam Garcia | Jul 12, 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

To be a catcher means to be fearless and tough, especially when MLB pitchers can throw balls at triple-digit speeds. Repeatedly catching high-speed pitches brings a possibility for injuries behind the plate.

Dodgers starting catcher Will Smith leads the pack of MLB catchers with 50 injury events through Monday:

Catchers take a lot of errant foul tips when behind the plate.

Will Smith leads all catchers with 50 injury events this season.

Check out some of them below 👇#LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/2AF6PZSBvI

— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) July 8, 2024

Smith's toughness behind the plate is one of the underrated aspects of his game, but validates his selection for his second consecutive National League All-Star game.

Next Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, Smith will represent the National League team as a reserve catcher. He never led the online fan voting for the All-Star Game, however, as Brewers’ catcher William Contreras was voted as the National League's starting catcher. 

Although Contreras was selected over Smith, the two-time All-Star had a record-tying performance against the Brewers, hitting three home runs in one game last Friday. His bat led Los Angeles to an 8-5 victory over Milwaukee.

Smith is now the fourth Dodgers catcher to hit three home runs in one game in franchise history. He joins Yasmani Grandal (2016), and Hall of Famers Mike Piazza (1996) and Roy Campanella (1950).

The next game, Smith hit a two-run home run in the first inning to mark his fourth home run in four consecutive at-bats, which tied the AL/NL record. This feat hasn’t been accomplished by a Dodgers player since Adrián González in 2015. Smith is only the third catcher, joined by Johnny Bench (1973) and Benito Santiago (1996), to do this in AL/NL history. 

This season, he slashes .274/.348/.500 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. His .500 slugging percentage and .848 OPS lead all MLB catchers. 

Smith started his MLB career with Los Angeles and has been the Dodgers’ go-to catcher since 2019, starting in 467 out of 468 games in his career. He was the starting catcher throughout the Dodgers’ World Series championship series in 2020.