Earl Smith
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1922)
Earl Smith was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1922 for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Browns, and the Washington Senators, a span of 7 seasons. In 495 career games, he hit .272 with 429 hits, 9 home runs, and 187 RBI.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 3/13/1943 in Portsmouth, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-09-10
- Last Game
- 1922-08-06
Full name: Earl Leonard Smith
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 495 | 1,580 | 176 | 429 | 72 | 32 | 9 | 187 | 36 | 82 | 127 | .272 | .311 | .375 | .686 | -313 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.
Career SLG .375 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .686 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | CHN | NL | 14 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .259 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1917 | SLA | AL | 52 | 199 | 31 | 56 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 21 | .281 | .248 (+13%) | .312 (+6%) | .323 (+20%) | .635 (+13%) | 346.0 |
| 1918 | SLA | AL | 89 | 286 | 28 | 77 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 13 | 13 | 16 | .269 | .255 (+5%) | .318 (-5%) | .326 (+4%) | .645 (avg) | -95.7 |
| 1919 | SLA | AL | 88 | 252 | 21 | 63 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 18 | 27 | .250 | .262 (-5%) | .322 (-7%) | .347 (avg) | .670 (-3%) | -172.2 |
| 1920 | SLA | AL | 103 | 353 | 45 | 108 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 55 | 11 | 13 | 18 | .306 | .271 (+13%) | .331 (+1%) | .363 (+20%) | .694 (+11%) | 571.5 |
| 1921 | SLA | AL | 25 | 78 | 7 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .333 | .286 (+16%) | .344 (+6%) | .395 (+30%) | .739 (+19%) | 223.6 |
| 1921 | WS1 | AL | 59 | 180 | 20 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 19 | .217 | .286 (-24%) | .344 (-23%) | .395 (-24%) | .739 (-24%) | 223.6 |
| 1922 | WS1 | AL | 65 | 205 | 22 | 53 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 17 | .259 | .285 (-9%) | .345 (-15%) | .397 (-12%) | .743 (-13%) | -483.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 495 | 1,580 | 176 | 429 | 72 | 32 | 9 | 187 | 36 | 82 | 127 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 614 | ||
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
View full game log (495 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 237 | 733 | 83 | 212 | 5 | 100 | .289 |
| Away | 258 | 848 | 94 | 217 | 4 | 88 | .256 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922-08-06 | MIN | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-29 | MIN | CLE | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1922-07-28 | MIN | DET | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1922-07-24 | MIN | PHA | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-21 | MIN | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1922-07-20 | MIN | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-19 | MIN | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-11 | MIN | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-10 | MIN | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922-07-08 | MIN | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 86 | 0 | 98 | 174 | 27 | 2 |
| OF | 318 | 0 | 651 | 65 | 36 | 19 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | CHN | OF | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917 | SLA | OF | 51 | 0 | 114 | 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 1918 | SLA | OF | 81 | 0 | 164 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
| 1919 | SLA | OF | 68 | 0 | 155 | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| 1920 | SLA | 3B | 70 | 0 | 73 | 146 | 20 | 2 |
| 1920 | SLA | OF | 15 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1921 | SLA | 3B | 13 | 0 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 0 |
| 1921 | SLA | OF | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | WS1 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | WS1 | OF | 43 | 0 | 84 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 1922 | WS1 | 3B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | WS1 | OF | 49 | 0 | 88 | 12 | 9 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 84 |
| Left Field | 136 |
| Center Field | 69 |
| Right Field | 114 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Smith (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Earl Smith: the record in brief
Earl Smith's major league career runs from a debut on September 10, 1916 to a final game on August 6, 1922. By club, Smith's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1916), the St. Louis Browns (1917 through 1921), and the Washington Senators (1921 through 1922). Smith played primarily as an outfielder and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on January 20, 1891, in Oak Hill, OH, USA and a listed size of 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Smith's death is recorded on March 13, 1943, in Portsmouth, OH, USA. Smith's full given name, per the bio, is Earl Leonard Smith.
Smith collected 429 hits in 1,580 at bats across 495 games, good for a .272 batting average, plus 9 home runs, 187 runs batted in, and 36 stolen bases. Smith's career OPS of .686 combines a .311 on-base mark with .375 slugging. Smith hit .272 while the league hit .267 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1920 produced Smith's most hits, 108 of them for the St. Louis Browns.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Smith
- What years did Earl Smith play?
- Earl Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1922.
- Was Earl Smith a pitcher?
- No. Earl Smith was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Earl Smith hit?
- Earl Smith hit 9 career home runs with 429 hits.
- What teams did Earl Smith play for?
- Earl Smith played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1916), the St. Louis Browns (1917–1921), and the Washington Senators (1921–1922).
- What were Earl Smith's career stats?
- In 495 games, Earl Smith had 429 hits, 9 home runs, 187 RBI, 176 runs, and 36 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
- What position did Earl Smith play?
- Earl Smith played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Earl Smith and how much did he weigh?
- Earl Smith was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Earl Smith hit each season?
- Earl Smith's home runs by season: 0 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 0 in 1918, 1 in 1919, 3 in 1920, 4 in 1921, and 1 in 1922. His most in one season was 4, in 1921.
- What was Earl Smith's career batting average?
- Earl Smith batted .272 over his career, with 429 hits in 1,580 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Smith have?
- Earl Smith drove in 187 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.