Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ celebration tour of their eighth World Series Championship continues through the winter, with each player and their respective inner circle celebrating the impressive milestone.
The latest celebration of the Dodgers World Series Championship and a player on that team is Lousiville University, which is set to honor Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith and his wife with a building on campus grounds.
In an interview this past week, Louisville Cardinals head coach Dan McDonnell came on the ABCA stage to discuss Lousiville alum Will Smith, his success at the college level, and the lasting impact he’s had on the program, city, and the sport of baseball.
“You look at the pitchers he caught and what he did for the pitching staff; you look at how many wins as he was in the ACC for three years, played in the College World Series, three Super Regionals. And so the Dodgers grabbed him in the first round, and man, he’s been fun to watch. We’re super proud of him, two World Series Championships, and let’s put it this way, he knows we’re trying to get a Will Smith and Cara Smith on a building, okay, because their family name deserves to go on a facility around our campus. So, we want his name and legacy to last forever. “
Smith has a very impressive collegiate resume. In his three years with the Louisville Cardinals, the backstop had a career slash line of .308/.404/.439. However, he took a massive step forward in his final year as a junior, hitting .382/.480/.567 with eight doubles, seven home runs, and forty-three RBIs.
That same year, Smith was named the Louisville Cardinals’ team captain and earned the 2016 All-ACC Third Team en route to a first-round draft selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who took the twenty-year-old with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 Major League Player Draft.
It would not be long before Smith made his Major League debut just three seasons later, during the 2019 season. There, he would share time behind the plate with veterans Austin Barnes and Russell Martin.
From his debut until this past season, Smith has put on a clinic at the plate with a career slash line of .258/.350/.472, along with a .822 OPS, 124 OPS+, 111 home runs, and 381 RBIs, which earned him a massive 10-year, $140 million extension last spring.
However, Smith has been no slouch behind the plate either, improving on multiple facets of his game, ranking in the 68th percentile in pop time, and leading all catchers in baseball with ten Caught Stealing Above Average.
Smith’s journey to success is not just his own. He still maintained close ties with Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell, who significantly shaped his career. McDonnell’s support was evident when he traveled to New York to witness his former player catch the series-clinching strikeout from Walker Buehler to end game five and give the Dodgers the title.
Smith was never the guy (in college) who got the most attention or awards. I tell our players sometimes that is a blessing because you never feel as if you’ve arrived; You keep striving to get better. And now he’s recognized as one of the best in the game.
Smith is just one of the long list of players to come out of Lousiville University. He is not the last to be taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers, as after 2016, fellow catcher and current top prospect Dalton Rushing was drafted out of Lousiville, and 2020 draft pick Bobby Miller, who has made a massive impact for the team in his two years on the club.
As for Will Smith, his career is far from over, but it is fantastic to see a player like himself and his family get recognized for all the work they’ve put in on the Dodgers organization and Lousiville program and keep his legacy alive for years to come.
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