Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith entered the league with the hype of a top prospect, having been selected with the seventh-overall pick of the 2017 Amateur MLB Draft by the snakes.
And, after a couple of years of average offensive performance in the majors, he appears to be hitting his stride in 2022.
He entered play on Wednesday with a .258/.351/.409 line, a couple of homers, and a .760 OPS.
However, he was able to hit his third dinger of the season this afternoon, and it was a very big one.
In a game marked by Madison Bumgarner‘s ejection by the first base umpire, it wasn’t until the ninth inning when Smith could make his contribution.
With the Marlins up 7-6, Smith belted a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning against closer Anthony Bender that flipped the score and quieted the home crowd.
An Excellent Way To Silence The Doubters
Marlins fans were actually messing with Smith when he was hitting.
“Marlins fans were chanting “overrated” during Pavin Smith’s at bat… Then he hit a go-ahead HR in the 9th,” FOX Sports MLB tweeted, with a clip of the game-changing home run.
Marlins fans were chanting "overrated" during Pavin Smith's at bat…
Then he hit a go-ahead HR in the 9th 👏
(via @ballysportsaz)pic.twitter.com/XDNbSsNMyl
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 4, 2022
It was a towering shot near the right field foul pole: we didn’t know for sure if it was going to be fair until it landed.
After the game, Smith’s batting line increased to .268/.354/.451, with three homers, 11 RBI, and a solid .805 OPS, which would be a career-high for the talented, yet underachieving slugger.
He may or may not be “overrated” as the Marlins fans said, but the truth is he is just 26 and starting to become a useful offensive player.
There aren’t many of those in the Marlins’ organization.
NEXT: MLB Umpire Acts Extremely Weird Before Ejecting Madison Bumgarner