Will Smith has been the most consistent and productive hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and he’s in the midst of a career year.
Smith enters play Sunday batting .325/.423/.546 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI and 52 runs scored. His 171 wRC+ is second in all of MLB behind only New York Yankees’ superstar Aaron Judge, and his .969 on-base plus slugging is fourth overall, behind Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh.
The 30-year-old has played in 81 games, but he’s only been behind the plate 74 total times, starting 72 of the Dodgers 105 total games so far.
The Dodgers have made it a focus to keep Smith fresh after his offensive declines in the previous two seasons. That led to designating Austin Barnes for assignment and calling up Dalton Rushing.
Smith has also only started three consecutive games just five times this season, and so far, the benefits of ample rest are showing.
“Yeah, definitely healthy,” Smith said. “No injuries right now or anything, which is good. Still feel like I’m playing a decent amount. Definitely want to be in there every day, but they’re managing that. But yeah, I feel good.”
Over his career, Smith has posted a 139 wRC+ and .868 OPS in the first half compared to a 116 wRC+ and .801 OPS in the second half.
That was even more pronounced last year when he had an .838 OPS and 128 wRC+ before the All-Star break and fell off to a .626 OPS and 76 wRC+ the rest of the season. It was similar in 2023 when his OPS declined from .889 to .701.
It’s not uncommon for a catcher to see a drop off during the season given their workload and the physical nature of catching, but Smith’s has been significant.
While it’s only been eight games into the second half in 2025, Smith has performed slightly better than he did in the first half to this point, bringing his OPS up by roughly .030 points.
“It’s great. We’re sitting here in the middle of July and he looks fresh,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s covering a lot of different zones, a lot of different pitches.
“He’s all-in for whatever we ask of him and appreciates the fact when he does get days off, it’s a benefit. I think having a good, healthy, fresh, Will, we’re seeing the benefits.”
If Smith can continue producing the rest of the way and carry that into October, he could be a true difference maker for the Dodgers. The backstop has already had postseason success in his career, but he’s never been able to enter the playoffs on a hot streak before.
Dave Roberts calls Will Smith the best catcher
While Raleigh has drawn all the headlines this season due to his MLB-leading 39 home runs, Smith has been right up there with him in terms of production.
Smith (171) leads Raleigh (169) in wRC+, and his OPS is only .008 points behind. Smith also had a better track record of success with a 129 wRC+ and 22.1 WAR over his career compared to Raleigh’s 123 and 20.1, respectively.
But while Raleigh has all the hype, Roberts still believes Smith is the best catcher in baseball.
“Well, I’m biased, number one,” Roberts began. “I just think that his ability to get a big hit, I think that the throwing, I think what he does with our pitchers, which I don’t know what Cal does, the ability to drive in runs, to hit left, hit right.
“So that’s for me. And I think the consistency. I think Will has done it for four years, something like that, and performed at a high level.”
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