Clarence Smith
Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Clarence Smith was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 8 teams, including the Columbus Buckeyes. In 575 career games, he hit .321 with 709 hits, 29 home runs, and 391 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,876.
- 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
- Position
- Right Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 575 | 2,209 | 387 | 709 | 94 | 52 | 29 | 391 | 92 | 121 | 3 | .321 | .358 | .450 | .808 | 2,876 |
Career AVG .321 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +13.0% above league average.
Career OBP .358 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .450 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — +12.9% above league average.
Career OPS .808 vs. league average .744 across their career seasons — +8.5% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | COB | NNL | 41 | 169 | 20 | 46 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 1 | .272 | .286 (-5%) | .344 (-14%) | .395 (-7%) | .739 (-10%) | -329.9 |
| 1922 | DS | NNL | 67 | 261 | 47 | 88 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 13 | 14 | 1 | .337 | .285 (+18%) | .345 (+8%) | .397 (+28%) | .743 (+19%) | 810.6 |
| 1923 | DS | NNL | 65 | 226 | 43 | 71 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 35 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .314 | .282 (+11%) | .344 (avg) | .390 (+13%) | .734 (+7%) | 265.7 |
| 1924 | DS | NNL | 63 | 259 | 41 | 78 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 40 | 6 | 16 | 0 | .301 | .283 (+6%) | .345 (-1%) | .389 (+3%) | .734 (+1%) | 15.1 |
| 1925 | DS | NNL | 92 | 378 | 83 | 131 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 82 | 19 | 17 | 0 | .347 | .288 (+20%) | .349 (+7%) | .407 (+24%) | .756 (+16%) | 1051.8 |
| 1927 | ACB | ECL | 77 | 297 | 61 | 92 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 57 | 5 | 26 | 0 | .310 | .282 (+10%) | .344 (+6%) | .392 (+12%) | .736 (+9%) | 453.4 |
| 1929 | BBB | NNL | 71 | 277 | 39 | 97 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 53 | 17 | 7 | 0 | .350 | .289 (+21%) | .353 (+5%) | .415 (+21%) | .769 (+13%) | 620.8 |
| 1930 | BBB | NNL | 37 | 116 | 20 | 40 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 1 | .345 | .293 (+17%) | .354 (+9%) | .429 (+14%) | .784 (+12%) | 224.1 |
| 1930 | BBS | IND | 17 | 68 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .353 | .293 (+20%) | .354 (+10%) | .429 (-11%) | .784 (-2%) | 224.1 |
| 1931 | CCU | NNL | 6 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | CC2 | NNL | 12 | 47 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | ID | NN2 | 27 | 87 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 0 | .241 | .270 (-11%) | .329 (-14%) | .377 (-24%) | .707 (-19%) | -265.1 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 575 | 2,209 | 387 | 709 | 94 | 52 | 29 | 391 | 92 | 121 | 3 | .321 | — | — | — | — | 3,071 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | DS | NNL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1927 | ACB | ECL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 10.80 | — | 0 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 3 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .182 |
Last 3 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-08-18 | DT1 | CAG | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-06-27 | DT1 | SSN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-07-19 | CB1 | CG1 | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 31 | 8 | 83 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 2B | 16 | 10 | 27 | 33 | 3 | 2 |
| 3B | 14 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| C | 4 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OF | 531 | 429 | 760 | 35 | 38 | 4 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | COB | OF | 41 | 41 | 77 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1922 | DS | OF | 72 | 67 | 111 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 1923 | DS | 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1923 | DS | OF | 61 | 58 | 81 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1924 | DS | 3B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | DS | OF | 62 | 61 | 112 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 1924 | DS | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | 1B | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | OF | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | ACB | 3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927 | ACB | OF | 77 | 73 | 151 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1927 | ACB | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | BBB | 2B | 7 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929 | BBB | C | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929 | BBB | OF | 69 | 65 | 131 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1930 | BBB | 2B | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930 | BBB | 3B | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930 | BBB | OF | 28 | 18 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1930 | BBS | OF | 17 | 17 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | CCU | OF | 6 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | CC2 | 1B | 10 | 8 | 83 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 1931 | CC2 | 2B | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1931 | CC2 | C | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931 | CC2 | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | ID | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | ID | OF | 26 | 22 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| Catcher | 4 |
| First Base | 31 |
| Second Base | 16 |
| Third Base | 14 |
| Left Field | 163 |
| Center Field | 77 |
| Right Field | 291 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Clarence Smith: the record in brief
The season rows for Clarence Smith begin in 1921. By club, Smith's seasons break down as the Columbus Buckeyes (1921), the Detroit Stars (1922 through 1925), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1927), the Birmingham Black Barons (1929 to 1930), the Baltimore Black Sox (1930), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Chicago Columbia Giants (1931), and the Indianapolis ABCs/Detroit Stars (1933). Smith played primarily as a right fielder and batted and threw right-handed. Smith was listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.
Across 575 games at the plate, Smith's career line reads 709 hits in 2,209 at bats for a .321 average, adding 29 home runs, 391 runs batted in, and 92 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .358 and .450 give Smith a career OPS of .808. Measured against the leagues Smith played in, the .321 career average compares with a .284 league average over the same seasons, 13.0% above the league. By OPS the gap is 8.5% above league average (.808 against .744).
Frequently Asked Questions about Clarence Smith
- Was Clarence Smith a pitcher?
- No. Clarence Smith was a position player (Right Fielder), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
- How many home runs did Clarence Smith hit?
- Clarence Smith hit 29 career home runs with 709 hits.
- What was Clarence Smith's career batting average?
- Clarence Smith batted .321 over his career, with 709 hits in 2,209 at bats.
- How many RBI did Clarence Smith have?
- Clarence Smith drove in 391 runs in his career.
- What was Clarence Smith's career ERA?
- Clarence Smith finished with a 10.80 career ERA, going 0-0 with 1 strikeouts.
- Is Clarence Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Clarence Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.