LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts is aware of what sort of season Cal Raleigh is having. The Mariners’ backstop is the primary Main Leaguer to 30 homers this yr, and he handed the legendary Johnny Bench for essentially the most house runs by a main catcher earlier than the All-Star break.
However the Dodgers’ supervisor — who acknowledged that he isn’t precisely a impartial evaluator — would not see Raleigh as the very best catcher in baseball. In his eyes, that distinction belongs to Will Smith.
“Effectively, I am biased, No. 1,” Roberts mentioned. “I simply suppose that his means to get a giant hit, I feel that the throwing, I feel what he does with our pitchers … in order that’s [why], for me.”
After which there’s the longevity. Smith has been a prime catcher in baseball for a number of years, however he is placing collectively the very best first-half efficiency of his profession. He continued to construct a case to begin his first All-Star Recreation on Saturday evening, going 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a double within the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss to the Nationals.
Smith has been top-of-the-line all-around hitters within the Majors this season, not to mention the Nationwide League. He’s the present NL batting chief, hitting .328 on the conclusion of Saturday’s motion, and his .969 OPS ranks second within the Senior Circuit — behind solely Shohei Ohtani’s .996.
A two-time All-Star in 2023 and ’24, Smith was a reserve behind starters Sean Murphy and William Contreras, respectively. There is not any clear challenger to Smith for the beginning job this yr, and the primary All-Star Poll voting replace launched final Monday displays that. At that time, Smith led NL catchers with 1,124,629 votes, and the Cubs’ Carson Kelly ranked a distant second with 408,081.
Roberts’ declare — that Smith is the very best within the sport — could be the larger debate, given what Raleigh has completed this season. However the Dodgers’ supervisor was contemplating the larger image fairly than this season alone.
Since 2019, the yr Smith made his Main League debut, no main catcher within the massive leagues has the next OPS than Smith’s .835 (min. 502 plate appearances, the equal of a full season).
“He is been wonderful since he acquired referred to as up,” mentioned Dustin Might, who tossed a top quality begin in Saturday’s loss. “He is massive in massive moments, he positively has the clutch gene and he is a really, superb baseball participant.”
Stats inform a part of the story: Raleigh has 30 homers, and Smith has 9. Smith is outhitting Raleigh’s .272 common, whereas Raleigh’s superior slugging skills give him the sting with a 1.026 OPS. Smith has thrown out 12 runners to Raleigh’s 10.
It may be troublesome for these trying from the surface in to judge simply how beneficial a catcher is. When Roberts says that Smith is the very best, he is drawing on years of watching Smith go about his work with the workforce’s pitching employees. These in Seattle could have the same opinion of Raleigh; that is the place the bias is available in.
Nonetheless, that is why Smith is the very best of the very best, so far as his workforce is anxious.
“He is positively on the prime of the sport,” Might mentioned. “Raleigh’s hit plenty of homers, however I imply, Will’s proper there with common. He is prime of the league, and he is positively top-of-the-line behind the plate. He is an important game-caller, he is an important athlete and I like to have him on the workforce.”
This time final yr, Smith had began to fade considerably after a sizzling begin on the plate. He revealed this spring that he had been coping with a bone bruise in his left ankle since June of final season, though he didn’t attribute his second-half hassle on the plate to the lingering damage.
That led the Dodgers to come back into this season with a give attention to preserving Smith recent in order that he can maintain a excessive stage of efficiency over the course of a yr. They’re definitely reaping the advantages of a wholesome, productive Smith.
And so they count on him to be rewarded with a visit to Atlanta, and plenty of extra Midsummer Classics to come back.
“[If] he is wholesome,” Roberts mentioned, “he is a perennial All-Star.”
