The Atlanta Braves are littered with stars like outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., first baseman Matt Olson, and starting pitcher Chris Sale, but first baseman/designated hitter Dominic Smith is their surprise success story early on.

The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Braves in February, but the organization gave him a split major league contract on March 21. The 5-foot-11, 224-pounder then hit a walk-off grand slam in his team debut on March 28, and he's been hot ever since.

Smith is slashing .395/.415/.684 with three homers and 15 RBIs over 14 contests thus far. That slash line is unsustainable, but he'll be one of the most unexpected breakout players in years if he even approaches a .300 batting average over a full season.

Smith has plenty of big-league experience, as he debuted for the New York Mets in 2017 and has 769 games under his belt. However, he's played 100-plus games in a season just twice, and his OPS was below .700 in both years.

However, Smith kept at it. The California native played with the Mets from 2017 to 2022 before spending 2023 with the Washington Nationals. He then played 93 combined big-league games for the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds in 2024 before playing 63 contests for the San Francisco Giants last season.

Smith produced for the latter team, as he slashed .284/.333/.417 with five homers and 33 RBIs. But that wasn't enough to get a long-term deal, so he ended up back on the open market again this past offseason.

The absence of catcher/designated hitter Sean Murphy gave Smith a chance to shine in Atlanta this season, and he's running with that opportunity. Murphy, who has a .751 OPS with 93 homers and 285 RBIs over 604 career games, is rehabbing from his September surgery that repaired his torn labrum.

While Smith may not phase Murphy out entirely, he'll force the Braves to keep playing him if he stays hot. The veteran has been one of their most productive hitters alongside second baseman Mauricio Dubon (.339 batting average), Olson (.967 OPS), and catcher Drake Baldwin (.932 OPS).

Atlanta is 11-7 after Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins, good for first place in the NL East. It's early, but it's on pace to improve on its losing 2025 campaign, and Smith could help it finish the job.

Up next for the Braves is a home rematch with the Marlins on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. ET.