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ANALYSIS: The Mets shipped slugger Jay Bruce off to Cleveland Wednesday, paving the way for Dominic Smith, the club’s No. 2 prospect, to make the jump to the big leagues. Smith will debut on Friday against the Phillies, and figures to be a permanent fixture in Terry Collins’ lineup over the final seven weeks of the season.
Smith has drawn some comparisons to Adrian Gonzalez, and while it’s a stretch to imagine the 22-year-old will ever match Gonzalez’s 40-HR ceiling, it’s worth noting that the five-time all-star hadn’t exactly found his power stroke when he debuted for the Rangers in 2004.
Across 457 at-bats in Las Vegas this season, Smith cracked 16 homers to go along with 76 RBI and a .330 average. His plate approach and discipline are off the charts, and even if the power doesn’t translate this season, his on-base skills should provide him with value in deeper fantasy leagues for the remainder of the year. Once Smith taps into his raw power, he has the potential to become a consistent top-10 fantasy producer at the first base position.
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