Earl Smith
Born: 2/14/1897 in Sheridan, AR, USA
Died: 6/8/1963 in Little Rock, AR, USA
MLB Debut: 1919-04-24 | Final Game: 1930-09-28
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 180 lbs
Full name: Earl Sutton Smith
Biography
Earl Smith, born in 1897, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who made his mark from 1919 until his retirement in 1930. Over the course of his career, he played in 860 games, amassing a total of 686 hits, which contributed to an impressive batting average of .303. Smith was known for his offensive prowess, hitting 46 home runs and driving in 355 runs batted in (RBIs). In addition to his hitting abilities, he demonstrated speed on the bases, successfully stealing 18 bases throughout his time in the league.
Smith's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, as the game began to emerge from the shadows of the deadball era into a more offense-driven style. His consistent performance at the plate and ability to contribute to his team's success made him a valuable player during the late 1910s and 1920s. Smith's legacy is characterized by his solid batting skills and his role in the evolution of the game, as teams sought more dynamic offensive strategies during this period.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 860 | 2264 | 225 | 686 | 115 | 19 | 46 | 355 | 18 | 247 | 106 | 0.303 | 0.374 | 0.432 | 0.806 | 4325.9 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NY1 | NL | 21 | 36 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1920 | NY1 | NL | 91 | 262 | 20 | 77 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 5 | 18 | 16 | 0.294 | -104.9 |
| 1921 | NY1 | NL | 89 | 229 | 35 | 77 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 51 | 4 | 27 | 8 | 0.336 | 1189.3 |
| 1922 | NY1 | NL | 90 | 234 | 29 | 65 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 37 | 12 | 0.278 | 724.0 |
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 72 | 191 | 22 | 55 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 0.288 | 255.7 |
| 1923 | NY1 | NL | 24 | 34 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.206 | 255.7 |
| 1924 | BSN | NL | 33 | 59 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0.271 | -100.5 |
| 1924 | PIT | NL | 39 | 111 | 12 | 41 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 0.369 | -100.5 |
| 1925 | PIT | NL | 109 | 329 | 34 | 103 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 64 | 4 | 31 | 13 | 0.313 | 688.4 |
| 1926 | PIT | NL | 105 | 292 | 29 | 101 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 46 | 1 | 28 | 7 | 0.346 | 941.7 |
| 1927 | PIT | NL | 66 | 189 | 16 | 51 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 0.270 | -31.2 |
| 1928 | PIT | NL | 32 | 85 | 8 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 0.247 | -31.1 |
| 1928 | STL | NL | 24 | 58 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0.224 | -31.1 |
| 1929 | STL | NL | 57 | 145 | 9 | 50 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 0.345 | 312.1 |
| 1930 | STL | NL | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 46 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.239 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | WS | SLN | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.750 |
| 1927 | WS | PIT | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1925 | WS | PIT | 6 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.350 |
| 1922 | WS | NY1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.143 |
| 1921 | WS | NY1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 720 | 0 | 2117 | 502 | 78 | 64 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NY1 | C | 14 | 0 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1919 | NY1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | NY1 | C | 82 | 0 | 252 | 73 | 8 | 12 |
| 1921 | NY1 | C | 78 | 0 | 195 | 56 | 9 | 4 |
| 1922 | NY1 | C | 75 | 0 | 214 | 56 | 6 | 3 |
| 1923 | BSN | C | 54 | 0 | 141 | 51 | 5 | 7 |
| 1923 | NY1 | C | 12 | 0 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 1924 | BSN | C | 13 | 0 | 40 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 1924 | PIT | C | 35 | 0 | 127 | 23 | 4 | 3 |
| 1925 | PIT | C | 96 | 0 | 317 | 77 | 13 | 15 |
| 1926 | PIT | C | 98 | 0 | 307 | 63 | 14 | 10 |
| 1927 | PIT | C | 61 | 0 | 187 | 32 | 3 | 2 |
| 1928 | PIT | C | 28 | 0 | 78 | 11 | 3 | 2 |
| 1928 | SLN | C | 18 | 0 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1929 | SLN | C | 50 | 0 | 131 | 21 | 6 | 1 |
| 1930 | SLN | C | 6 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 720 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1926 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1925 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C2 |