Much to the skepticism of many fans and writers, the Mets made the unusual choice to carry both Dom Smith and Pete Alonso to start the season. Despite his limited playing time and even a brief—and unearned—return to the minors, Smith has thrived in this role and has come a long way in rebuilding the value he lost during his tumultuous first two seasons.
Across 332 plate appearances in 2017 and 2018, Smith hit just .210/.259/.406 with a 79 wRC+. He struck out nearly 30% of the time and walked just 5% of the time.