The Athletic makes Hall of Fame case for the last Dodgers player fans would expect

The Dodgers have three players who fans can say with absolute certainty are headed to the Hall of Fame: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. Former MVPs, perennial All-Stars and Silver Sluggers, multi-time World Series champions. Even with Betts on the IL and Ohtani and Freeman dealing with offensive slumps this season, there's no doubt those three are the Dodgers' heart.

But Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic named another Dodger who might be destined for Cooperstown: Will Smith.

His argument hinges on comparisons to Buster Posey, who will be a first-time candidate on the 2027 ballot. He might not get in on his first ballot, but he'll be able to pull it off eventually. Rosenthal points out that Smith doesn't have the same Rookie of the Year or MVP honors, but he's surpassed Posey in some counting stats through 752 career games.

To Posey's .859 OPS, 102 homers, and 446 RBI, Smith has a .831 OPS, 131 homers, and 458 RBI.

Smith has yet to catch fire at the plate this season and has been dealing with a mild injury, but Ohtani and Freeman are in the same boat, performance-wise. Just like them, Dodgers fans have little doubt Smith will figure it out.

Ken Rosenthal makes Hall of Fame case for Dodgers' Will Smith

Smith is under contract through his age-38 season, which means his career will almost certainly be longer than Posey's, who debuted two years younger but retired at 34. They have the same number of World Series rings already, and — not to jinx it — Smith has a few more on the way.

Last year, he hit .296 with a .901 OPS in 110 games, which had some writers predicting he could give Ohtani some competition in the NL MVP race. Of course, that was pretty much never going to happen, but he did get MVP votes for the first time in his career, placing 20th in voting.

The Dodgers love Smith for his level-headedness and consistency behind the plate, which is why he's one of very few homegrown players they've ever locked up to a long-term contract. Dalton Rushing might be getting most of the attention right now for his shenanigans and hot bat, but Smith is who the Dodgers have truly invested in.

He doesn't need to get into the Hall of Fame someday for that investment to be worth it, but ... it certainly wouldn't hurt.

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