Will Smith names the most challenging Dodgers pitchers to catch, and it's not Shohei Ohtani or Clayton Kershaw

Will Smith will be behind the plate as LA Dodgers' catcher for at least nine more years after he signed a 10-year contract extension for $140 million in 2024, which will see him through the 2033 season.

Sure, Smith has caught balls from the likes of Clayton Kershaw, a potential future first-ballot Hall of Fame pitcher. This spring, he also caught bullpen sessions of Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell.

However, when asked who is the hardest pitcher for him to catch behind the plate, it was not Kershaw, Snell or Ohtani.

"But yeah, the hardest guys to catch for me are probably Glasnow and Dustin May—just nasty stuff, throwing hard. Yeah, those two guys, probably," the Dodgers catcher said Wednesday on MLB Network.

The Dodgers have a loaded starting rotation on their hands heading into the 2025 season. The likes of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki were added in the offseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are expected to lead the rotation. Veteran southpaw Clayton Kershaw will be in business too, and so will Shohei Ohtani, who will return to the mound after missing the 2024 season.

In December, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes confirmed the club is considering going with a six-man rotation instead of a traditional five-man business. The team, which has the best odds to repeat as champions, suffered several pitching injuries down the stretch.

Thus, the Dodgers want to make sure they have enough backup in case something similar happens again in 2025.

Will Smith set to make 2025 spring training debut on Friday

Will Smith wasn't available to start the spring training for the Dodgers last week. He was suffering from a persistent right ankle injury, causing a delay.

All changes on Friday when Smith, alongside Shohei Ohtani, will feature in the contest against the LA Angels.

Assuming Smith has recovered well from his injury, he may also suit up as the catcher during the two-game series between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.

Smith played 128 regular-season games in 2024, slashing .248/.327/.433 with an OPS of .760 and a WAR of 3.5. He had 20 home runs and 75 RBIs.