Will Smith Bio
William Dills Smith, known professionally as Will Smith, is an American professional baseball catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on March 28, 1995, in Louisville, Kentucky, Smith has developed into one of the most productive catchers in the National League. He played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals before being selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.
Smith is a three-time MLB All-Star and has won the World Series three times with the Dodgers, in 2020, 2024, and 2025. Internationally, he represents the United States, having played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Nicknamed “The Fresh Prince” by teammates, he is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
Early Life and Background
William Dills Smith was born on March 28, 1995, in Louisville, Kentucky, to parents Mark and Julie Smith. He has a younger sister, Sara, and grew up in a household with deep Kentucky roots. As a young fan, Smith supported the Boston Red Sox and admired catchers and sluggers such as Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz, players who helped shape his offensive approach behind the plate.
Smith attended Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville, where he starred as both a position player and a pitcher. In his senior year of 2013, he hit .528 with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs while also posting a 7-1 record and a 0.87 ERA on the mound. Despite his strong senior campaign, he went undrafted in the 2013 MLB draft and chose to enroll at the University of Louisville to continue his baseball development.
Path to Professional Baseball
At the University of Louisville, Smith played three seasons of college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals. During the summer of 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, helping the team win the league championship. The following summer, in 2015, he played for the Brewster Whitecaps of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, gaining valuable exposure against top amateur talent.
In his junior season of 2016, Smith slashed .382/.480/.567 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs across 55 games, cementing his status as a first-round prospect. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft, and he signed on July 17, 2016, for a $1.775 million signing bonus. This marked the start of his journey through the Dodgers’ farm system.
Will Smith Career
Early Career (2016-2018)
Smith began his professional career with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer Baseball League and was quickly promoted to the Class-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League. After brief stops in rookie and Class-A ball, he advanced to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League, where he was named to the mid-season All-Star team in 2017. He was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in July 2017, but a fractured hand suffered on a hit-by-pitch limited his development late in the season.
In 2018, Smith split the year between Tulsa and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League, hitting .233 with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs. His combination of power, plate discipline, and defensive improvement behind the plate positioned him as one of the top catching prospects in baseball heading into 2019.
MLB Debut and Rookie Season (2019)
Smith began 2019 with Triple-A Oklahoma City before receiving his first major league call-up on May 27, 2019. He made his MLB debut the following day against the New York Mets, recording two hits in four at-bats and singling off Steven Matz for his first big-league hit. On June 1, 2019, he hit a walk-off home run against Héctor Neris of the Philadelphia Phillies, and later that month he delivered a walk-off three-run homer against the Colorado Rockies as part of an MLB-record three consecutive walk-off home runs by Dodgers rookies.
After a brief return to the minors, Smith was recalled in late July and never looked back. He finished his rookie campaign hitting .253/.337/.571 in 54 games with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs, establishing himself as the Dodgers’ primary catcher of the future.
World Series Champion and Rising Star (2020-2022)
During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Smith played 37 games and hit .289/.401/.579 with eight home runs. In the postseason, he set a Dodgers franchise record with five hits in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, and in the NLCS he became the first MLB player to face a pitcher of the same name in the postseason, Atlanta’s Will Smith, hitting a three-run homer. He helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.
From 2021 through 2022, Smith developed into a durable everyday catcher, playing 130 games in 2021 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs, and 137 games in 2022 with 24 home runs and 87 RBIs. He led major league catchers in stolen bases allowed in 2021 and tied for the National League lead with 11 sacrifice flies, solidifying his reputation as a complete backstop.
All-Star Years and Contract Extension (2023-2024)
Smith earned his first All-Star selection in 2023, hitting .261 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs. In 2024, he agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract extension with the Dodgers on March 27, securing his future in Los Angeles through 2034. That season he became the fourth catcher in Dodgers history to hit 100 career home runs, joined an elite group of Dodger catchers with a three-homer game, and tied a major league record with home runs in four consecutive at-bats. He was named to his second All-Star Game in 2024.
Despite a career-low .248 batting average during the regular season, Smith played every postseason game for the Dodgers, who captured the 2024 World Series title.
Championship Hero (2025)
The 2025 season saw Smith deliver some of the most dramatic moments of his career. On June 18, he hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run against the San Diego Padres, breaking a tie with Rick Monday for the most pinch-hit walk-offs in franchise history. He later added two more walk-off homers, finishing the regular season with a career-high .296 batting average, 17 home runs, and 61 RBIs in 110 games before a hairline fracture in his hand cut short his regular season in September.
Smith returned for the postseason and helped lead the Dodgers through the playoffs. In the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he homered in Game 2 and delivered the game-winning home run in the top of the 11th inning of Game 7 off Shane Bieber, clinching the championship. He batted .267 with two home runs and six RBIs in the series and set a new record for most innings caught in a single World Series.
Notable Events and Milestones
Smith’s career is filled with signature moments, including his record-tying four straight at-bats with a home run in 2024, his 100th career Dodgers homer, and his Game 7 heroics in the 2025 World Series. He holds the franchise record for most pinch-hit walk-off home runs and is one of only a handful of Dodgers catchers ever to hit three home runs in a single game.
Will Smith Career Wins
Will Smith has been part of three World Series championship teams with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning titles in 2020, 2024, and 2025. His postseason resume also includes a franchise-record five-hit postseason game in 2020 and a historic three-run homer against a same-named opponent in the NLCS that year.
World Series Highlights
Smith has been a central figure in the Dodgers’ three most recent championships. His walk-off single in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series capped one of the most clutch postseason runs in recent MLB history. Across his three World Series appearances, he has delivered timely hits, including multiple home runs and game-winning moments.
Will Smith Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Smith married Cara Martinell in December 2020, and the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in October 2022. In 2021, Will and Cara co-founded the Catching Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth communities and education initiatives, reflecting the couple’s commitment to giving back to their home state of Kentucky.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was one of the most dramatic of Will Smith’s career. He delivered multiple walk-off home runs, set franchise records, and posted a career-high .296 batting average before a hand injury in September briefly interrupted his campaign. Despite missing the final weeks of the regular season with a hairline fracture, he returned for the playoffs and finished the year as a three-time All-Star and World Series champion.
In the postseason, Smith caught every meaningful inning for the Dodgers down the stretch, including all seven games of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. His Game 7 home run off Shane Bieber in the 11th inning sealed the championship and cemented his place among the most clutch performers in franchise history. With a long-term contract in place and several prime years ahead, Smith remains a foundational piece of the Dodgers’ championship core.