Smith got some advice from some of the best hitters in baseball history.
The Atlanta Braves weren't supposed to look like this. Not this early, and not with this many guys on the shelf.
But 18 games into the 2026 season, Atlanta sits at 10-8 and has yet to lose a series, with a designated hitter nobody saw coming leading the charge.
Dominic Smith ripped a go-ahead, bases-clearing double in the eighth inning on Tuesday night to lift the Braves to a 6-5 comeback win over the Miami Marlins at Truist Park, and afterward he opened up about the advice that's been fueling his incredible early-season run.
Wisdom From the Greats
"I talked with Barry last year, and it's crazy how his mind worked. You wouldn't even think some of the things of what he thought when he attacked the game," Smith said. "To hear (advice) from legendary players' mouths, it does hit a little different."
Smith has also leaned on what he picked up from Chipper Jones, who spoke to Braves hitters during Spring Training about the mental side of hitting.
Jones talked about committing to a certain pitch early in the count, then sitting on the offspeed stuff when the situation called for it.
That approach showed up Tuesday, when Smith jumped on a cutter from Pete Fairbanks and drove it the other way with two outs and the bases loaded.
Through 41 plate appearances, Smith is hitting .395 with a 1.099 OPS. He owns a 1.467 OPS with runners on base and is 6-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Those numbers look almost fake, especially when you consider he might not have been on the roster at all if Jurickson Profar hadn't received a 162-game suspension for a second PED violation back in early March.
Thriving Through Adversity
Tuesday's rally was the latest example of why Atlanta has been one of baseball's better stories so far.
The Braves went 76-86 last year and missed the playoffs for a second straight season, but first-year manager Walt Weiss has the club playing clean, confident baseball despite missing Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Hurston Waldrep from the rotation.
"This has turned into a great story," Weiss said about Smith. "It already is. But it just keeps getting better and it couldn't happen to a better guy."
The pitching staff has been dominant through the first few weeks, with the Braves owning one of the lowest team ERAs in baseball.
Chris Sale has been the anchor, looking every bit like the Cy Young winner he was in 2024, and Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder have all contributed behind him.
Smith's Tuesday heroics came just a couple weeks after he launched a walk-off grand slam against the Royals on March 28 in what was essentially his debut with the team.
Two bases-loaded at-bats this season, two massive hits.
That's not a coincidence when you're borrowing from the minds of Bonds and Chipper Jones.