Mets 2013 first round draft pick Dominic Smith has been named the 2015 Florida State League Player of the Year.
Smith, who spent the entirety of the year with the St. Lucie Mets, batted .305 while picking up 6 homeruns and 79 RBI over 456 plate appearances. The 20-year-old made vast improvements in all areas after a somewhat disappointing first year in the organization.
When drafted 11th overall by Sandy Alderson and the Mets, Smith projected to hit for a high average with power to all fields. Being so young, the former California high school product still has ample time to build on the improvements he has made over the past year.
Smith’s honor puts an exclamation on a strong year for Mets minor leaguers. Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Michael Conforto have all experienced success following their call ups, players like Brandon Nimmo and Gavin Cecchini have each made meaningful strides toward earning a major league promotion, and a series of pitching prospects which included Michael Fulmer have allowed the Mets to acquire players like Yoenis Cespedes, Tyler Clippard, and Addison Reed.
Dominic Smith will likely begin 2016 with the Mets AA affiliate in Binghamton and is still at least two years away from joining the Mets in Queens.
