It has been a mercurial offseason for Dominic Smith, the New York Mets 22-year-old first baseman. It all started with a public lambasting from general manager Sandy Alderson regarding Smith’s weight, which Smith addressed by reinventing his diet and exercise routine to the tune of losing 30 pounds.
Smith was attempting to return to the team’s good graces and win the starting first base job this spring. Even after signing Adrian Gonzalez, the Mets seemed content to let their young top prospect compete for playing time in camp.
In a situation where he had to do everything right, Smith just did one of the easiest things wrong.