D-backs @ Dodgers Discussion
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Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKSDODGERSKetel Marte – DHShohei Ohtani – DHGeraldo Perdomo – SSAndy Pages – CFCorbin Carroll – RFFreddie Freeman – 1BGabriel Moreno – CMookie Betts – SSLourdes Gurriel – LFTommy Edman – 3BIldemaro Vargas – 2BKyle Tucker – RFNolan Arenado – 3BTeoscar Hernandez – LFRyan Waldschmidt – CFMiguel Rojas – 2BTim Tawa – 1BDalton Rushing – CE. Rodriguez – LHPKyle Hurt – RHPRoster movesThe Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 39.
- Recalled from Triple-A Reno: OF Ryan Waldschmidt
- Designated for assignment: 1B Pavin Smith
And so, Smith’s nine-year tenure as part of the Diamondbacks organization apparently comes to an end, though it is possible he might get through waivers. We’ll see if the team opts to retain his services in that case. But for now, let’s take a look back at the Smith era. It ends with Pavin having appeared in 476 games for the D-backs since making his MLB debut as a September call-up at the end of the lame duck 2020 season. He was Mike Hazen’s very first draft pick, being selected with seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft. Smith could have been a Rockie, since they drafted him out of high school three years earlier. But it was way back in the 32nd round and he didn’t sign.
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However, over the seven seasons which followed, Smith rarely cemented himself as an everyday part of the Arizona line-up. There was only one year where he appeared in as many as ninety games. That was in 2021, when he played 145 times. That was mostly as an outfielder, including 29 starts in center field, which seems hard to believe now (and might help explain why that team lost 110 games!). It made sense in that Christian Walker was largely blocking Smith at first-base. That and designated hitter are the only two positions at which Smith has appeared since the end of 2024.
However, the results have largely been underwhelming, outside of one white-hot streak as Jack recently noted. Smith’s OPS has been below .600 over the last 300+ plate-appearances, and if the team had possessed any credible alternative options at first-base, it’s likely the plug would have been pulled sooner. Instead, they’ll be going with some hybrid combo of Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa at first, while Mike Hazen works the phones, looking for a replacement. Given the previously-noted fact that our 1B production is the worst in over a century, the bar for improvement won’t be high. But despite 476 games of basically replacement-level production, I wish Smith all the best.