Buster Posey may be an unlikely source from which to hear praise for a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But with Will Smith amid a career year, the San Francisco Giants catching icon and front-office member could not help but do so.
The Giants president of baseball operations gave Smith the ultimate compliment by comparing the Dodgers catcher to himself during a recent interview with SI Dodgers.
The 2012 National League MVP and batting champion, who won three World Series and was a five-time Silver Slugger was a thorn in Dodgers fans’ sides for his entire 12-season career with the Giants. But now watching Smith, who
What Did Buster Posey Say About Will Smith?
Posey may have a cordial public persona that may even cross into affable. But he noticed Smith, like himself, changes when he steps onto the field.
“Iâve always been a fan of Will,â Posey said. âPlaying against him, I felt like we had some similarities, because he wasnât looking to be your best friend when you came to the plate. I kind of appreciated that about him.
“You could tell he wanted to do everything he could to beat you. Thereâs no doubt heâs been a big part of that teamâs success.”
On a roster full of former MVPs, like Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and even starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Smith may fall through the cracks to some. Still, even though he is a tick below qualifying for the NL batting lead — players must average 3.1 plate appearances per team game, and Smith is averaging an even three PAs per game so far — he still would lead the NL in batting with a .312 average.
Yet, Posey, of all people, would understand what winning a batting title as a catcher would mean. He was the most recent catcher to sit atop his league in batting average, when he batted .336 in the Giants’ second championship season, and he and Joe Mauer are the only primary catchers to win the batting title in the past 50 years.
“Especially as you get late in the year, as much as you try to maintain your legs throughout the season, inevitably you get later in the year and your legs do start to get a little bit tired,” Posey said. âThatâs the foundation to hitting. So youâre kind of combating that.
“Youâre also a foul tip away from getting one off your hands that would impact how you grip the bat. So there is a lot.”
Can Will Smith Win The NL Batting Title?
Things are looking good for Smith at the moment. Two-time reigning NL batting champ Luis Arraez of the rival Padres is having an off year, and Smith is one of just three NL players with a .300-plus average.
But Smith is up against two factors when it determines his chances of leading the NL in hitting: the things Posey said and his current lack of plate appearances to garner qualification.
The Dodgers have been using Smith less amid the season’s dog days to preserve him for the postseason. He has just 74 plate appearances in the past month while starting only 16 of LA’s 24 post-All-Star break games.
Still, when asked if Smith will get enough plate appearances to qualify, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts assuaged Dodgers fans fears.
“Heâs going to qualify. No matter what, Iâll make sure of that,” Roberts said. “Iâm going to make sure he gets enough at-bats.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dodgers Nemesis Praises Will Smith: ‘I Felt We Had Some Similarities’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.