The fresh prince of Chavez Ravine: Rookie catcher Will Smith makes his mark as Dodgers push for a title

PHOENIX — Just in case you ask, no, he has never met Will Smith, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’’

He has never met Will Smith, the All-Star closer for the San Francisco Giants, either.

That should change this weekend when the Giants visit Dodger Stadium.

Will Smith, meet Will Smith.

“It will be pretty cool,’’ says the Dodgers' 24-year-old rookie catcher. “I’m sure something will happen before the weekend is over.’’

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Well, while introductions surely will be made during the Dodgers-Giants series, and pictures taken, you better grab Will Smith now, the one employed by the Dodgers, because he may become the biggest star of all the Will Smiths.

You’ll be able to tell the Will Smiths apart because he’ll be the Will Smith who will soon be drenched with champagne, perhaps catching the final pitch when the Dodgers clinch their seventh consecutive National League West Division title, while pursuing their first World Series championship since 1988.

He may be only 24 years old, and could pass for a high school sophomore with his baby face, but this Will Smith just may be forever remembered in Dodgers folklore.

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This is a kid who was in college at Louisville three years ago, playing in Oklahoma City just two months ago, and now is running the show as their starting catcher, drawing comparisons to every Dodgers’ great from Roy Campanella to Mike Scioscia to Steve Yeager to Mike Piazza.

“He just might be the best all-around catcher in the game right now,’’ one veteran National League scout told USA TODAY Sports. “This kid can do it all. He has the soft hands. The great arm. The quick release. The bat. The power. The easy comparison is to Buster Posey, but he’s going to be better. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with what he’s doing behind the plate.

“It’s one thing to come up and help a team in a pennant race, but to do it as a catcher? My God.’’

The Dodgers are the most talented and powerful team in the National League for seven years and running. They’re the Atlanta Braves of the 90s, a dynasty that treats the regular season almost like a science lab getting ready for the postseason. It’s World Series or bust every year, and for the last two years, they’ve won the National League pennant.

And now, it’s as if they bought a Maserati and handed over the keys to their kid. 

Smith is not only supposed to handle this veteran pitching staff, including everyone from future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw to young star Walker Buehler to veteran closer Kenley Jansen, but also anchor the middle of the lineup, even batting cleanup against the Arizona Diamondbacks last week in Phoenix.

“What we’re asking him to do is the hardest thing of all,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “because you’re essentially dealing with 13 different pitchers and their mixes, and how they’re supposed to individually get hitters out. So now you’re talking about getting information from coaches, the pitching side, the defensive side, and you’re layering in the hitting part.

“So as a young player, the ask is high.

“To expect it to be seamless, and not have the game speed up at times is unfair. But he’s handled everything thrown his way, remarkably.’’

Go ahead, you try squatting 60 feet, 6 inches away from a three-time Cy Young winner, and telling him what pitch to throw, precisely at what point in the count, against hitters you've only watched on video.

“You’ve got to learn how to pitch guys,’’ Kershaw says, “and then have to layer that on top of how we like to pitch guys too. As an organization, we put a lot of responsibility on that catcher. It’s a hard job. He’s being inundated with a lot of stuff.

“It’s not an easy thing to come up as a catcher with everything it entails, but Will is doing a great job, learning the staff, having pride in his game-calling, not to mention he’s swinging the bat well, too.’’

Smith, who became only the second catcher in baseball history to hit 10 homers in his first 25 games, is batting .282 with 13 homers, 34 RBI and a 1.042 on-base-plus slugging percentage. He has 10 homers and 28 RBI in just 29 games since being recalled.

Smith, the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2016, already has more homers than in high school (11), three years of college (9), and every season until a year ago when he hit 19 homers in the minors.

The only one not overly impressed with his offensive and defensive prowess is Smith himself.

“I always knew I could hit, so honestly, it’s not a surprise at all,’’ Smith says.

The hardest transition?

“I don’t know, it really hasn’t been too tough at all,’’ he said. “I’m not saying the game is easy, but the veteran pitchers, the coaching staff, they make it easy for you. They give me all of the information, and I’ve been able to process it.

“The Dodgers’ player development did a really good job preparing me. I really haven’t been overwhelmed or anything.’’

Well, pardon everyone else if they’re blown away.

“Will has stepped in the middle of a pennant race into arguably the most difficult position on the field,’’ said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. “He has earned his teammates’ respect with how much he cares about his responsibility behind the plate, and has been a key contributor on the offensive side as well.’’

You try being a kid who didn’t make his major-league debut until May 29, was sent back to the minors until July 26, replaced popular starting catcher Austin Barnes, moved ahead of veteran Russell Martin, and now is a vital cog for their World Series hopes.

There’s not a whole lot of time to meet friends, influence teammates, and entertain a passionate fanbase that’s starved for a championship.

“I think this decade of baseball is a lot easier than at any time this game has seen for a younger player,’’ said Rich Hill, 39, who made his major-league debut when Smith was in the fourth grade. “It allows the room for players to be themselves and come up in an environment that’s more inviting.

“Quite honestly, I think it’s a great time for younger players and older players to learn from each other. You can’t just win with younger guys. You can’t just win with veterans. We need everybody.

“And this guy is so well-prepared. His ability to learn and his ability to listen is tremendous. He doesn’t come across as, “I know everything. You guys don’t need to tell me anything.’ He takes it all in, and understands what’s at stake.’’

Really it may be an easier adjustment for Smith being on a championship-caliber team than on a 95-loss rebuilding team. Players have no choice but to accept him. They want to win, win now, and know that if they’re going to win, they need Smith.

It’s no different, Diamondbacks veteran catcher Alex Avila said, than when he broke into the big leagues in 2009. The Detroit Tigers were in a division race with the Minnesota Twins, and he was called up mid-summer, catching alongside Gerald Laird. Sure, Laird knew that Avila was his heir apparent, but it didn’t stop him from teaching Avila everything he knew.

Smith, who grew up idolizing catchers like Martin, Posey and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, says he’ll be forever indebted to Martin, who shares his expertise and secrets to handling the Dodgers’ staff. It’s one thing to sit on the bench with a clipboard and iPad charting pitches, and quite another to be the one calling your own game. You need buddies who have your back when the game speeds up.

“He [Laird] could have easily shut me out, and left me alone on the island that I thought I was on and see what happens,’’ Avila said. “But he didn’t do that. That’s the one thing about coming up as young player when you’re on a team in the middle of the pennant race. Everyone’s goal is to win. He knew I would be in a situation that would be important to the team. He wanted to make sure I was prepared for that.

“You definitely need some protection because there’s going to be some anxiety out there.’’

Smith realizes there will be growing pains. He hasn’t even been in the big leagues for two months, so he hardly has it all figured out. Still, Smith says he has yet to be overwhelmed. He has not been discouraged. He really hasn’t been flustered by anything.

Maybe it’ll hit him next month in the postseason.

Maybe there will be a moment in the World Series.

Who knows, maybe it won’t faze him until the World Series parade, or a celebration during the winter, when he meets the most famous Will Smith.

Hey, after all, he already has the “Prince of Bel-Air,’’ as his walk-up song, and his Instagram handle is “@freshprinceoflad.’’

The Fresh Prince of the Los Angeles Dodgers is ready to meet the original.

“There’s a whole lot of people I hope to meet in this game,’’ Smith says. “But I’ve got time. I’m just getting started.’’

And as he’s already proven, this is no fictitious TV character on a Hollywood set.

This Will Smith is for real.

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