Dominic Smith’s latest battle of the bulge is showing results.
The Mets first baseman, whose conditioning came into question this past season during a rough six-week stretch to begin his major league career, said he’s lost 11-12 pounds this offseason as he makes better food choices and works out daily in Los Angeles.
“This is something I want to get under control and never make an issue again,” Smith said at Target in Elmhurst, where he participated in the Mets holiday shopping spree that assists underprivileged families. “I would rather go through this at 22 than go through this in my prime.”
Smith is no lock to begin the season as the starting first baseman, a point emphasized this month by general manager Sandy Alderson, who said he is searching for other potential options to play the position. And the message has resonated with Smith, who posted a disappointing .198/.262/.395 slash line with nine homers and 26 RBIs in 49 games last season.
Options on the free-agent market include Logan Morrison, Jay Bruce and Adam Lind, all of whom can potentially move between first base and the outfield. Alderson has said any outfielder the Mets pursue will need to have first-base capabilities. The team has also shown interest in Carlos Santana, a full-time first baseman who, if acquired, would turn Smith into trade bait.
“They drafted me in the first round, so they expect me to be a first-round type player,” said Smith, the organization’s top pick in the 2013 draft. “They expect me to be a star in New York City. Of course, I didn’t live up to the expectations, and I am not going to take that and am upset about that. I know my capabilities and what I’m able to do. I am just going to put it all together and I am going to show the world.”
Smith shed 24 pounds last offseason after changing his diet, but much of the weight returned during his 4 ¹/₂ months at Triple-A Las Vegas. He says once he was called up to the Mets, he lost six pounds in the first week just because of the better food choices in the major leagues.
Smith said his weight would have been an issue even if he performed at a high level after arriving from the minor leagues.“This is something that Pablo Sandoval, everybody deals with,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter how great their career is. Prince Fielder had a great career and it’s always going to be a topic and an issue, no matter how good you are.
“I definitely have a different mindset coming into next season. I am working my butt off every day continuously and I’m just working. I learned a lot. I got up there for six weeks and I learned from that and I am not taking anything for granted. It’s an honor and pleasure. Every day I get to wake up and play for the New York Mets, it’s an honor and pleasure. You know that you have to work hard. You have to be realistic with a lot of situations, so I definitely am.”
Amed Rosario, who also participated in the holiday shopping spree, said he is hoping the Mets retain his mentor, Jose Reyes, who is a free agent.
“I talk with [Reyes] just about every day and it’s something that of course it would be important for me if he were around,” Rosario said. “It’s not just for me, but I think for the whole team he is just a guy who brings a lot of energy.”