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Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith is currently leading the National League in batting average (and on-base percentage), but may not be able to win the NL batting title.
Smith would become the first Dodgers catcher — and just the fifth catcher ever — to secure this honor, but end-of-season awards need a certain number of plate appearances to qualify. Due to Smith — and most catchers in general — not playing every day, he is at risk of falling under the requirement.
More news: Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman Feels Good About Roster Heading Into Stretch Run, NL West Race
The official MLB rulebook states that “a batter must record at least 3.1 plate appearances per scheduled league game to qualify for individual category leadership in batting average, on-base percentage, or slugging percentage.”
Now, the Dodgers have prioritized Smith’s rest this season, in large part due to him historically putting up less production as the season goes on. Across his seven-year career, Smith has batted .279 in the first half, with an OPS of .869.
During the second half of the season, Smith has hit .244 with a .777 OPS over the course of his career.
Even this season, Smith went into the All-Star break hitting .323/.425/.540 with an OPS of .966. In his 74 plate appearances since the Midsummer Classic, Smith still produces, but is batting .270 with an OPS of .839.
Speaking of plate appearances, that is the crux of why Smith is at risk of not winning the title. The 3.1 plate appearances per game averages totals 502 plate appearances on the year, and Smith is on pace to finish right around that number
Dodgers fans and catcher-enthusiasts are in luck, however, because manager Dave Roberts recently spoke on ensuring his backstop qualifies for the batting title.
“He’s going to qualify. No matter what, I’ll make sure of that,” Roberts said. “I’m going to make sure he gets enough at-bats.”
With the commitment to getting Smith in line for the title, all that is left to do is to keep collecting hits and doing whatever is needed to get runs on the board.
More news: Dodgers Linked to Former All-Star Reliever as Potential Free Agent Reclamation Project
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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