Eugene Smith
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Eugene Smith was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Stars. Across 70 career appearances, he went 22-30 with a 4.15 ERA and 293 strikeouts. He also batted .186 with 4 home runs. Eugene Smith was a 2-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1026.8.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- Died
- 5/25/2011 in Richmond Heights, MO, USA
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | SL3 | NAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SNS | NAL | 5 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 88.1 | 74 | 32 | 44 | 60 | 3.26 | 4.21 (+23%) | 990.5 |
| 1941 | SNS | NAL | 2 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 54.2 | 42 | 25 | 21 | 50 | 4.12 | 3.94 (-5%) | 906.9 |
| 1942 | NBY | NN2 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 97.0 | 73 | 39 | 56 | 73 | 3.62 | 3.57 (-1%) | -295.6 |
| 1946 | HG | NN2 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 118.1 | 120 | 62 | 63 | 70 | 4.72 | 3.59 (-31%) | 817.1 |
| 1947 | HG | NN2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45.0 | 43 | 23 | 32 | 22 | 4.60 | 3.97 (-16%) | -665.0 |
| 1948 | CBE | NAL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 31 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 6.75 | 4.10 (-65%) | -727.2 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 22 | 30 | 70 | 58 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 431.2 | 387 | 199 | 237 | 293 | 4.15 | — | 1,027 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 204 | 27 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 1 | .186 | .249 | .279 | .528 | -507 |
Career AVG .186 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.
Career OBP .249 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 25.5% below league average.
Career SLG .279 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 25.3% below league average.
Career OPS .528 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — 25.4% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | SL3 | NAL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SNS | NAL | 22 | 52 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .173 | .267 (-35%) | .335 (-19%) | .387 (-50%) | .722 (-36%) | -283.6 |
| 1941 | SNS | NAL | 10 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | NBY | NN2 | 21 | 45 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | HG | NN2 | 22 | 55 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .182 | .256 (-29%) | .328 (-36%) | .358 (-14%) | .687 (-24%) | -223.2 |
| 1947 | HG | NN2 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | CBE | NAL | 4 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 93 | 204 | 27 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 1 | .186 | — | — | — | — | -507 | ||
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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 8 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| P | 70 | 58 | 21 | 114 | 17 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | SL3 | P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | SNS | OF | 4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940 | SNS | P | 15 | 11 | 5 | 25 | 8 | 0 |
| 1941 | SNS | P | 9 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| 1942 | NBY | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | NBY | P | 15 | 12 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 0 |
| 1946 | HG | OF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | HG | P | 18 | 17 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| 1947 | HG | P | 8 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | CBE | P | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 70 |
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Eugene Smith: the record in brief
Eugene Smith's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1939 to 1948. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Stars (1939), the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1940 through 1941), the New York Black Yankees (1942), the Homestead Grays (1946 to 1947), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1948). Smith played primarily as a pitcher and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 23, 1916, in Ansley, LA, USA and a listed size of 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Smith's death is recorded on May 25, 2011, in Richmond Heights, MO, USA.
The pitching table credits Smith with a 22-30 record and a 4.15 ERA in 70 games. The same table counts 293 strikeouts and 34 complete games. Smith's 4.15 ERA was close to the 3.95 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 7, in 1946. 1942 produced Smith's most strikeouts, 73.
Frequently Asked Questions about Eugene Smith
- Was Eugene Smith a pitcher?
- Yes. Eugene Smith pitched in the major leagues, recording 22 wins and 293 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Eugene Smith hit?
- Eugene Smith hit 4 career home runs with 38 hits.
- What teams did Eugene Smith play for?
- Eugene Smith played for 4 teams: the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1939–1941), the New York Black Yankees (1942), the Homestead Grays (1946–1947), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1948).
- What awards did Eugene Smith win?
- Eugene Smith was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Eugene Smith's career stats?
- In 70 games, Eugene Smith went 22-30 with a 4.15 ERA, 293 strikeouts, 431.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 38 hits and 4 home runs.
- What position did Eugene Smith play?
- Eugene Smith played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Eugene Smith and how much did he weigh?
- Eugene Smith was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
- What was Eugene Smith's career ERA?
- Eugene Smith finished with a 4.15 career ERA, going 22-30 with 293 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Eugene Smith have?
- Eugene Smith recorded 293 career strikeouts.
- Is Eugene Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Eugene Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Eugene Smith make?
- Eugene Smith was selected to 2 All-Star Games.