Baseball? Hard sport. Making the cut as a major leaguer? Tough to do. Dominic Smith was once a top 100 prospect who actually beat the odds in making it to the majors. He didn’t become an All-Star hitter — though, it must be noted that in 2020, he placed 13th in NL MVP voting — but there’s something to be said about a guy who extends his career to 9 seasons. He’s played well enough for the San Francisco Giants that he’ll almost certainly get a 10th in 2026. Whether or not that’s with the Giants is besides
the point, he’s the exact kind of lowkey fun storyline that any good baseball season needs.
Dominic Smith is the LaMonte Wade Jr. of Kevin Pillars, or the Joaquin Arias of Gregor Blancos, or the Mike Morse of Eduardo Nunezes — an unsexy addition who wound up being a stabilizing presence. He’s the continuation of a long tradition in Giants history; but, lest you think I’m damning him with faint praise (and, to be clear, his numbers are basically a smidge above what’s considered “replacement level”), a quick search using Statcast shows that he’s just 1 of 11 Giants in the 21st century to post a 110 or better OPS+ in fewer than 80 games played in-season (min. 200 PA). It’s a fun little list of midseason acquisitions:
- Randy Winn, 2005 (58 games, 247 PA) — .359/.391/.680, 173 OPS+
- Mike Yastrzemski, 2020 (54 games, 225 PA) — .297/.400/.568, 164 OPS+
- Marco Scutaro, 2012 (61 games, 268 PA) — .362/.385/.473, 144 OPS+
- Rafael Devers, 2025 (74 games, 324 PA) — .247/.355/.469, 136 OPS+
- Donovan Solano, 2020 (54 games, 203 PA) — .326/.365/.463, 127 OPS+
- Wilmer Flores, 2020 (55 games, 213 PA) — .268/.315/.515, 124 OPS+
- Hunter Pence, 2015 (52 games, 223 PA) — .275/.327/.478, 119 OPS+
- Dominic Smith, 2025 (62 games, 224 PA) — .286/.335/.419, 116 OPS+
- Brandon Belt, 2014 (61 games, 235 PA) — .243/.306/.449, 114 OPS+
- Angel Pagan, 2013 (71 games, 305 PA) — .282/.334/.414, 113 OPS+
- Kris Bryant, 2021 (51 games, 212 PA) — .262/.344/.444, 113 OPS+
There are three COVID-shortened seasons and three injury-shortened seasons on this list; otherwise, Dominic Smith’s stint with the Giants has been akin to the random Randy Winn pickup near the end of 2005, the Marco Scutaro acquisition in 2012, Devers this season, and the Kris Bryant trade in 2021. That’s a surprising group for him to be a part of — basically, the biggest “deadline deals” in recent Giants history.
We know that vibes are a central tenet of the team’s philosophy this season, and he has definitely brought wave after wave of positive vibes to a team that was still searching for cohesion.
It’s not always about being the loudest guy in the clubhouse or (and I say this with all due respect) having the most Muppet energy in the dugout…
… sometimes, character and consistency count for a lot. Or, you know, just a vibe. A lineup with Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee and (to a lesser extent) Heliot Ramos is maybe strong enough to carry a lineup but is made truly great by a surrounding cast of quality depth. Again, Dominic Smith isn’t a superstar, but let’s be grateful for what he is: a solid major leaguer. The Giants took a while to find one of those to stick at second base this season and they were floundering around in the outfield until they found Mike Yastrzemski. Eventually, they were able to build off that solid footing when things clicked for Ramos and they signed Jung Hoo Lee.
I was surprised to see that he is sub-average on defense at first base (-6.4 Defensive Runs Above Average; -4 Outs Above Average), because when I watch him there I see a ball magnet with some “Captain of the Infield” tendencies — an obvious confidence that only adds to an already strong group. But it’s fun when the numbers demonstrate a solid player is less than perfect — this isn’t about perfection, it’s about effectiveness.
Dominic Smith has been a good Giant this season. Since joining the squad, he’s third in Win Probability Added, behind Matt Chapman and Willy Adames. Indeed, as a Giant, he’s 22nd in MLB in FanGraphs’ Clutch Statistic and that leads the team (keeping in mind that Chapman & Adames have had way more plate appearances to dilute that stat).
I’m not sure how much of a Hail Mary Buster Posey and Zack Minasian thought his addition would be, but they took a chance and all credit should go to Dominic Smith for making the most of this opportunity. He’s been a real big help to the Giants this season.
