Will Smith is among the Los Angeles Dodgers heading to the 2024 MLB All-Star Game at Globe Life Field, earning a selection as one of the reserve players on the National League team.
The All-Star Game selection is the second of Smith’s career, with both instances coming back-to-back years and in the form of being named with the reserves.
That’s much to the chagrin of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who has continued to tout Smith as one of the best two catchers in all of baseball. Smith never led at his position during All-Star Game voting updates, nor did he advance to Phase 2.
Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras was voted the starting NL catcher.
Smith’s second career All-Star selection comes on the heels of a record-tying stretch in which he hit a home run in four consecutive at-bats.
Prior to accomplishing that feat, Smith joined Roy Campanella, Mike Piazza and Yasmani Grandal as the only Dodgers catchers to hit three home runs in a row. Adrián González had been the last Dodgers player with four consecutive home runs when he accomplished the feat over two games in April 2015.
Roberts believed the two-day stretch Smith just completed was arguably the best of his career.
“Know that he’s thrown out a lot of hits and had a lot of big games and big series, but to be able to use the whole field, take the walks when he needs to,” Roberts began.
“They’re running some good arms at him, and he’s still controlling the zone. And even that at-bat, where he struck out versus (Freddy) Peralta, that fifth inning or fourth inning, whatever it was. I mean, that’s a 12-13, pitch at-bat battling 99 and still sees a bunch of pitches. So, I mean, even his outs are really quality at-bats.”
Will Smith All-Star Game history
Smith caught five innings and went 0-for-1 with a walk in last year’s All-Star Game.
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