2025 stats: 63 G 225 PA .284/.333/.417, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 6.7 BB%, 18.7 K%, -6.3 Def, 111 wRC+, +0.4 fWAR
Dominic Smith missed the final 15 games of the Giants’ season, and while that time didn’t wind up impacting what’ll happen to his career in 2026, it wound up being a huge pivot point for the fate of the San Francisco Giants. The postseason might’ve slipped through their fingers though moment he strained his hamstring.
Just a couple of days before he went down with that season-ending injury, I offered
up this glowing profile, supposing that this steadyhanded journeyman is precisely what the Giants needed to ride the rapids of the season. Though it could be argued that he was a bit of a Hail Mary move by the front office, his impact was akin to those grizzled veteran additions Brian Sabean made and that always seemed to work out.
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).
His three biggest moments of the season:
August 6 at Pittsburgh (+0.293 WPA)
This one helped the Giants get back over .500 after that winless homestand that dropped them below .500 for the first time all season.
June 5 vs. San Diego (+0.283 WPA)
This one netted a split with a division rival early enough in the season when anything seemed possible. It pulled them to within a game of San Diego and just 3 back of the Dodgers.
August 17 vs. Tampa Bay (+0.245 WPA)
This one broke a 7-game home losing streak and wound up being only the 2nd win of a 9-game homestand. That win kicked off a 24-game stretch where the Giants went 16-8 and Smith slashed .290/.313/.435 with a pair of homers, 3 doubles, and 13 RBI, a +0.341 WPA overall. The team was just half a game out of the third Wild Card after this run.
After he went down, the Giants went 6-9 over their final stretch of games.
Smith was brought in to replace LaMonte Wade Jr. He never attained a nickname like “Late Night,” but he wound up serving a similar function. He also stepped into the clutch veteran roll that Wilmer Flores’s age/health had pushed him out of, and did it almost like a handoff, since Wilmer had seemingly carried the team for the first month of the season.
Smith gave the Giants a chance to win nearly every day and in his absence they simply couldn’t. He wasn’t a foundational talent like Devers, Adames, Chapman, and Patrick Bailey, but it turns out he was the load bearing poster of 2025. It wasn’t his fault the team couldn’t get its act together enough for that to not be the case, but credit to him for stepping up to be that guy for as long as he could. It’s the sort of story baseball gives us nearly every season, and even when things don’t go as hoped for with the team overall, it’s nice to remember the individual accomplishments like these.
