Yankees' Dominic Smith has a number of reasons to enjoy wearing pinstripes
Yankees' Dominic Smith is greeted in the dugout after his two-run home run in the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Yankees no longer employ Juan Soto, but they do have a No. 22, and it’s currently worn by someone who is very familiar with what life is like on the other side of the RFK Bridge.
That person is Dom Smith, who spent six MLB seasons in Flushing after the Mets made him their first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2013 draft. On Tuesday, dressed in Yankees’ navy blue, Smith did a fair Soto impression when he jumped on a first-pitch fastball from the Twins’ Michael Tonkin, hammering it three rows deep into the rightfield bleachers at the Lee Health Sports Complex. He homered again Wednesday against the Cardinals at Steinbrenner Field.
After Tuesday’s blast, when I asked Smith if he was aware of his number’s previous owner, he laughed.
“Yeah,” Smith said, smiling. “I couldn’t not notice that.”
Astute observers may remember that Smith first wore No. 22 with the Mets, but that only lasted two seasons. In 2020, Smith gave it up at the request of the newly signed Rick Porcello (“he donated to my non-profit”) and switched to the No. 2 for what turned out to be a career year — albeit one shortened to 60 games by the COVID pandemic — when he batted .316 with 10 homers, 42 RBIs and a .993 OPS (Smith finished 13th in the MVP voting).
He bounced between those two numbers in subsequent stops, with the Nationals and Red Sox — Smith wore No. 0 for the Reds in nine games last season — but obviously Derek Jeter’s No. 2 wasn’t available with the Yankees. As for inheriting a number Soto has now made infamous by bolting the Bronx for Queens, the affable Smith — ever optimistic in the face of adversity — didn’t see it that way.
“I’m just very thankful,” Smith said. “There’s a ton of great players who have worn that number, so I think some of that magic is going to rub off on me this year. This whole organization, I don’t think you can pick a number that’s not special. It’s just a part of the legacy.”
Smith is in camp on a minor-league deal, and at this point, has to be considered a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. Giancarlo Stanton’s double-elbow problems — along with a trip back to New York this week that further clouded his status — has cracked the door open a bit at DH, but there are more Bronx-established options like Ben Rice ahead of him on that list.
“I think he definitely factors into the mix,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The ability to play first. He’s working a little bit in the outfield, so we’ll move him around. He’s obviously a bat with a track record. He’s in good shape and ready to go, so we’ll see what we have.”
Smith was drafted as a first baseman, and it was the Mets who first gave him a try in the outfield. They did so reluctantly, despite him wanting to be more versatile — and then Pete Alonso arrived in 2019. Eventually Smith graduated from the experiment phase to split time between first base and left, until almost exclusively playing the outfield in 2021.
Since leaving the Mets, however, Smith has only been at first, which is why this audition for the Yankees has him adjusting to the outfield all over again. Unlike feeling his way around in Flushing, Smith believes he’s much better equipped now for the challenge, especially after working with a track coach this past winter.
“Just the way I run, the way I think about running is completely different,” Smith said. “Stuff that I had never thought about. The way we put force into the ground. Certain running mechanics. I’ve never made it a priority, so actually doing that, it helps open up some things. I don’t think I’m terrible out there.
“I’m not the fastest, but if I get to some balls, I can catch them. Hiring the track coach is going to help my foot speed and I’ll be able to make more plays. The biggest thing is the mindset. I’m more confident than I was five years ago.”
In many other important ways, Smith is the same guy that he was in Flushing. At 29, he’s older now, and well-traveled after stops in Washington, Boston and Cincinnati before winding up at Steinbrenner Field this spring. But he’s still a very popular clubhouse presence, and unfailingly upbeat.
This week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora raved about Smith’s contributions last season, which seemed to go beyond the numbers (.706 OPS, 6 HRs, 34 RBIs) in his 84-game stay at first base before Tristan Casas returned from a fractured rib cage.
“People forget that he’s 29 — he still has a lot of baseball left,” Cora said. “He was a joy to have around. Good player, good swing, understands the strike zone, understands what winning is. I mean, he’s a long ways from the Mets days, when he had some issues over there. Now he’s one of those guys that’d be awesome to have in your clubhouse.”
Smith did have a bumpy ride at times with the Mets. There were injuries, miscommunication, even a missed diagnosis or two. But Smith also became a loud voice for social injustice during his Queens tenure, and that coincided with his best performance in a Mets uniform. He looks back at his Big Apple days fondly, and would love a shot to return to the city now with his fiancee.
“I’m thankful to the Mets and that fan base,” Smith said. “Everybody in New York. I have nothing but love and appreciation, just for teaching me a lot about my life, a lot about my career. How to handle certain situations. Just made me mature as a man.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
