March 7, 2020

William Smith injected some much-needed life into the catcher position for fantasy baseball last season. The rookie launched 15 homers with 42 RBI in just 54 games, becoming a must-start catcher in fantasy. That production didn't come out of anywhere either. In 62 games at Triple-A, Smith hit 20 homers with a slugging percentage north of .600 and an absurd .335 ISO. Those numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt, it was in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but Smith flashed other MLB-ready skills in the minors such as his 0.82 walk to strikeout ratio. As impressive as Smith was at times, he also dealt with his struggles with Major League pitching. His strikeout rate skyrocketed from 18.1 in Triple-A up to 26.5 with the Dodgers with his walk rate dropping as well. A look at his batted ball data also implies Smith was a little lucky. His home run total was bolstered by an unsustainable 23.1 home run to fly ball rate and his batting average and slugging percentage were also notably higher than his expected stats based on the quality of contact he made. Smith's average draft position of 159th overall feels like it's baking in more growth from the young backstop in his second season. However, he should provide a safe floor as the Dodgers loaded lineup should provide plenty of RBI and run-scoring opportunities.--Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller