Mets prospect Dominic Smith – the next great first baseman?

I remember it like it was only yesterday…

Well, that’s a bit dramatic.

But when the Mets, with the infamous 11th overall pick they wouldn’t give up to sign Michael Bourn in 2013, drafted the young first baseman Dominic Smith (18 at the time, just out of high school) I immediately said to myself, “This kid is going to be a superstar.”

I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was all idealistic… that general baseball optimism that comes from following the potential stars of tomorrow. The way the Mets were drafting at the time, it was clear they were going high upside position players, desperate to stockpile youthful everyday exuberance in a system filled with budding, highly-hyped pitchers. The vines…