Al Smith

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1964)

Al Smith was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1964 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Buckeyes, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,556 career games, he hit .273 with 1,500 hits, 168 home runs, and 701 RBI. Al Smith was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 12,102.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .273
HR 168
RBI 701
H 1,500
OPS .789
PIV 12,102
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 189 lb
Born
2/7/1928 in Kirkwood, MO, USA
Died
1/3/2002 in Hammond, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1953-07-10
Last Game
1964-10-04
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Alphonse Eugene Smith

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Career Batting Statistics

Al Smith — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,556 5,499 866 1,500 263 51 168 701 70 687 769 .273 .358 .431 .789 12,102

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Career SLG .431 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OPS .789 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — +10.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Smith (b. 1928) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1946 CBE NAL 4 12 1 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1947 CBE NAL 19 69 10 22 3 4 3 13 1 6 1 .319 .262 (+22%) .336 (+13%) .376 (+62%) .712 (+39%) 395.9
1948 CBE NAL 16 61 12 16 2 1 1 12 1 6 0 .262 .263 (avg) .340 (-1%) .379 (-1%) .719 (-1%) -5.6
1953 CLE AL 47 150 28 36 9 0 3 14 2 20 25 .240 .264 (-9%) .335 (+2%) .397 (-9%) .733 (-4%) -68.2
1954 CLE AL 131 481 101 135 29 6 11 50 2 88 65 .281 .261 (+8%) .333 (+19%) .390 (+11%) .723 (+15%) 1796.2
1955 CLE AL 154 607 123 186 27 4 22 77 11 93 77 .306 .258 (+19%) .332 (+23%) .393 (+20%) .726 (+21%) 3065.0
1956 CLE AL 141 526 87 144 26 5 16 71 6 84 72 .274 .258 (+6%) .331 (+14%) .397 (+9%) .728 (+11%) 1454.9
1957 CLE AL 135 507 78 125 23 5 11 49 12 79 70 .247 .257 (-4%) .323 (+8%) .391 (-4%) .715 (+1%) 317.8
1958 CHA AL 139 480 61 121 23 5 12 58 3 48 77 .252 .257 (-2%) .324 (avg) .394 (avg) .719 (avg) -16.0
1959 CHA AL 129 472 65 112 16 4 17 55 7 46 74 .237 .256 (-8%) .323 (-4%) .392 (+1%) .715 (-1%) -90.7
1960 CHA AL 142 536 80 169 31 3 12 72 8 50 65 .315 .255 (+24%) .323 (+16%) .387 (+16%) .711 (+16%) 1768.0
1961 CHA AL 147 532 88 148 29 4 28 93 4 56 67 .278 .258 (+8%) .328 (+6%) .399 (+27%) .727 (+17%) 1776.8
1962 CHA AL 142 511 62 149 23 8 16 82 3 57 60 .292 .257 (+13%) .326 (+11%) .393 (+17%) .719 (+15%) 1515.4
1963 BAL AL 120 368 45 100 17 1 10 39 9 32 74 .272 .246 (+10%) .308 (+8%) .371 (+9%) .680 (+9%) 635.7
1964 CLE AL 61 136 15 22 1 1 4 9 0 8 32 .162 .250 (-35%) .312 (-32%) .377 (-28%) .690 (-30%) -626.9
1964 BOS AL 29 51 10 11 4 0 2 7 0 13 10 .216 .250 (-14%) .312 (+23%) .377 (+9%) .690 (+15%) -626.9
Career · 16 seasons 1,556 5,499 866 1,500 263 51 168 701 70 687 769 .273 — — — — 11,291

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Al Smith — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 51 5 14 5 1 1 5 8 6 .275

Playoff Batting by Year

Al Smith — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS CHA 6 20 1 5 3 0 0 1 4 4 .250
1954 WS CLE 4 14 2 3 0 0 1 2 2 2 .214
1947 NWS CBE 5 17 2 6 2 1 0 2 2 0 .353

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1570 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Al Smith — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home755251743770885355.281
Away815295443280186363.271

Last 10 Games — Batting

Al Smith — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1964-10-04 BOSTEXW 100000001
1964-10-03 BOSTEXW 220000030
1964-09-30 BOSCLEL 300000010
1964-09-25 BOSDETL 100000000
1964-09-23 BOSTEXL 100000000
1964-09-22 BOSTEXW 111100100
1964-09-16 BOSKC1W 000000000
1964-09-12 BOSLAAL 100000000
1964-09-10 BOSCLEL 400000000
1964-09-09 BOSCLEW 511001301

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Al Smith — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 1 0 0 0
3B 380 354 316 641 75 47
OF 1132 1009 2065 63 57 10
SS 31 22 54 57 16 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Al Smith — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 CBE 3B 2 2 1 3 1 1
1946 CBE SS 2 2 3 7 1 1
1947 CBE SS 19 19 45 44 15 8
1948 CBE OF 14 14 15 0 1 0
1948 CBE SS 1 1 3 2 0 0
1953 CLE 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1953 CLE OF 39 0 67 2 6 0
1954 CLE 3B 21 18 23 25 6 3
1954 CLE OF 109 105 241 8 4 1
1954 CLE SS 4 0 1 1 0 0
1955 CLE 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1955 CLE 3B 45 40 33 59 7 4
1955 CLE OF 120 114 206 5 5 1
1955 CLE SS 5 0 2 3 0 1
1956 CLE 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1956 CLE 3B 28 23 22 38 5 2
1956 CLE OF 122 114 248 6 5 1
1957 CLE 3B 84 82 95 156 24 16
1957 CLE OF 58 49 100 3 2 1
1958 CHA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1958 CHA OF 138 128 249 9 8 2
1959 CHA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1959 CHA OF 128 126 283 8 6 2
1960 CHA OF 141 141 252 5 9 2
1961 CHA 3B 80 79 58 161 12 12
1961 CHA OF 71 61 123 3 3 0
1962 CHA 3B 105 104 76 185 18 8
1962 CHA OF 39 32 47 6 2 0
1963 BAL OF 97 93 160 6 5 0
1964 CLE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1964 CLE OF 48 27 64 2 0 0
1964 BOS 3B 10 6 8 14 2 1
1964 BOS OF 8 5 10 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Al Smith (b. 1928) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 2
Third Base 381
Shortstop 31
Left Field 416
Center Field 86
Right Field 673

Award Voting History

Al Smith — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1962 Most Valuable Player AL 33th 1.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 3.0 280 0
1960 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 73.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 200.0 336 7

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Al Smith (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Hank Bauer
    .277 avg, 164 HR
  2. 93
    Bobby Higginson
    .272 avg, 187 HR
  3. 89
    Sam Chapman
    .266 avg, 180 HR
  4. 82
    Sixto Lezcano
    .271 avg, 148 HR
  5. 78
    Oscar Gamble
    .265 avg, 200 HR
  6. 78
    Matt Lawton
    .267 avg, 138 HR

Al Smith: the record in brief

Al Smith appears in the season tables from 1946, when the club was a Negro Leagues team; the bio's debut date, July 10, 1953, marks the first game in the American or National League era of the record, and the final game as October 4, 1964. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Buckeyes (1946 through 1948), the Cleveland Indians (1953 through 1964), the Chicago White Sox (1958 to 1962), the Baltimore Orioles (1963), and the Boston Red Sox (1964). The bio lists Smith as an outfielder who both batted and threw right-handed. Smith is listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 189 pounds. The birth record reads February 7, 1928, in Kirkwood, MO, USA. The bio records the death on January 3, 2002, in Hammond, IN, USA.

Smith's career batting table shows 1,556 games, 5,499 at bats and 1,500 hits, a .273 average, plus 168 home runs, 701 runs batted in, and 70 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .358 and the slugging percentage .431, for an OPS of .789.

Frequently Asked Questions about Al Smith

What years did Al Smith play?
Al Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1964.
Was Al Smith a pitcher?
No. Al Smith was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Al Smith hit?
Al Smith hit 168 career home runs with 1,500 hits.
What teams did Al Smith play for?
Al Smith played for 5 teams: the Cleveland Buckeyes (1946–1948), the Cleveland Indians (1953–1957, 1964), the Chicago White Sox (1958–1962), the Baltimore Orioles (1963), and the Boston Red Sox (1964).
Did Al Smith win an MVP award?
No. Al Smith did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Al Smith win?
Al Smith was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Al Smith's career stats?
In 1,556 games, Al Smith had 1,500 hits, 168 home runs, 701 RBI, 866 runs, and 70 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
What position did Al Smith play?
Al Smith played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Al Smith and how much did he weigh?
Al Smith was listed at 6 feet and 189 pounds.
How many home runs did Al Smith hit each season?
Al Smith's home runs by season: 0 in 1946, 3 in 1947, 1 in 1948, 3 in 1953, 11 in 1954, 22 in 1955, 16 in 1956, 11 in 1957, 12 in 1958, 17 in 1959, 12 in 1960, 28 in 1961, 16 in 1962, 10 in 1963, and 6 in 1964. His most in one season was 28, in 1961.
What was Al Smith's career batting average?
Al Smith batted .273 over his career, with 1,500 hits in 5,499 at bats.
How many RBI did Al Smith have?
Al Smith drove in 701 runs in his career.
Is Al Smith in the Hall of Fame?
No. Al Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Al Smith make?
Al Smith was selected to 2 All-Star Games.