Pavin Smith’s first taste of the majors last year felt unlike most big-league debuts. The game did not seem to speed up on him. His at-bats were steady and mature. He looked as if he had been hitting at the game’s highest level for years.
“I didn’t try to change much,” Smith said on Wednesday. “I just took what got me there and didn’t try to get overly aggressive. I know my strengths are controlling the strike zone. That didn’t change.”
Smith played in just 12 games for the Diamondbacks last season, but the impression he left during that cameo could come in handy this spring, particularly after what happened this week.