February 9, 2026

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has long established himself as one of the best hitters at his position in MLB. In 2025, the 30-year-old posted a .296/.404/.497 slash line with 17 home runs, 61 RBI, 64 runs scored, and two stolen bases. He logged a career-best 14.7% walk rate, while recording his best barrel (12.2%) and hard-hit (47.1%) rates since the shortened 2020 season. However, playing time volume remains a consistent issue with Smith's fantasy profile. With superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani locked in as the Dodgers' designated hitter, Smith is out of the lineup on days when he needs a day off from catching. Los Angeles has also historically been judicious with Smith's workload behind the plate. He's never seen more than 578 plate appearances in a season and has recorded fewer than 560 plate appearances in each of his last three campaigns. Smith has the benefit of playing in a loaded Dodgers' lineup, which should allow him to rack up solid counting stats even in a relatively reduced number of trips to the plate. In both 2023 and 2024, Smith racked up at least 75 runs and 75 RBI. Still, Smith's playing time ceiling hurts his fantasy outlook relative to some of the other high-end catchers who project for fewer days out of the lineup. With a current average draft position of pick 100, Smith profiles as a mid-tier number one catcher for fantasy managers in 2026.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller