Frank Smith

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1904-1915)

Frank Smith was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1915 for 5 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 12 seasons. Across 354 career appearances, he went 139-111 with a 2.59 ERA and 1,051 strikeouts. He also batted .204 with 2 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11012.0.

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

W–L 139–111
ERA 2.59
WHIP 1.17
SO 1,051
Pitcher PIV 11012.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 194 lb
Born
10/28/1879 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Died
11/3/1952 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1904-04-22
Last Game
1915-09-13

Full name: Frank Elmer Smith

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Career Pitching Statistics

Frank Smith — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
139 111 354 255 184 27 6 2274.0 1,975 655 27 676 1,051 2.59 11012.0

Career ERA 2.59 vs. league average 2.82 across their career seasons — 8.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Smith (b. 1879) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1904 CHA AL 16 9 26 23 22 4 0 203.1 157 47 58 107 2.08 2.66 (+22%) 1388.4
1905 CHA AL 19 13 39 31 27 4 0 291.2 215 69 107 171 2.13 2.82 (+25%) 2215.6
1906 CHA AL 5 5 20 13 8 1 1 122.0 124 46 37 53 3.39 2.68 (-27%) -560.5
1907 CHA AL 23 10 41 37 29 3 0 310.0 280 85 111 139 2.47 2.50 (+1%) -19.5
1908 CHA AL 16 17 41 35 24 3 1 297.2 213 67 73 129 2.03 2.40 (+16%) 2333.7
1909 CHA AL 25 17 51 40 37 7 1 365.0 278 73 70 177 1.80 2.55 (+29%) 6097.1
1910 CHA AL 4 9 19 15 9 3 0 128.2 91 29 40 50 2.03 2.79 (+27%) 442.4
1910 BOS AL 1 2 4 3 2 0 0 28.0 22 15 11 8 4.82 2.79 (-73%) -194.4
1911 BOS AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2.1 6 4 3 1 15.43 — 0.0
1911 CIN NL 10 14 34 18 10 0 1 176.1 198 78 55 67 3.98 3.37 (-18%) 1248.6
1912 CIN NL 1 1 7 3 1 0 0 22.2 34 16 15 5 6.35 3.36 (-89%) -919.9
1914 BLF FL 10 8 39 22 9 1 2 174.2 180 58 47 83 2.99 2.93 (-2%) 63.3
1915 BLF FL 4 4 17 9 2 0 0 88.2 108 46 31 37 4.67 2.90 (-61%) -1037.7
1915 BRF FL 5 2 15 5 4 1 0 63.0 69 22 18 24 3.14 2.90 (-9%) -45.2
Career · 14 seasons 139 111 354 255 184 27 6 2,274.0 1,975 655 676 1,051 2.59 — 11,012

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

Frank Smith — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
369 766 81 156 41 9 2 85 3 64 217 .204 .276 .289 .565 -1,032

Career AVG .204 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 19.0% below league average.

Career OBP .276 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.

Career SLG .289 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 12.1% below league average.

Career OPS .565 vs. league average .643 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Smith (b. 1879) 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
1904 CHA AL 26 72 8 18 5 0 0 6 0 4 21 .250 .246 (+1%) .300 (-1%) .321 (-1%) .622 (-1%) -7.5
1905 CHA AL 41 106 11 24 6 0 1 11 0 7 30 .226 .248 (-9%) .307 (-3%) .322 (-4%) .629 (-3%) -30.7
1906 CHA AL 20 41 6 12 2 2 0 6 0 3 6 .293 — — — — 0.0
1907 CHA AL 42 92 11 18 3 0 0 11 2 16 28 .196 .245 (-20%) .304 (+8%) .308 (-26%) .613 (-9%) -38.4
1908 CHA AL 43 106 15 20 7 0 0 10 1 5 36 .189 .240 (-22%) .298 (-22%) .306 (-17%) .605 (-20%) -298.9
1909 CHA AL 53 127 11 22 6 3 0 20 0 10 31 .173 .244 (-29%) .306 (-20%) .312 (-14%) .618 (-17%) -328.4
1910 CHA AL 24 43 4 8 3 0 0 5 0 5 16 .186 — — — — 0.0
1910 BOS AL 4 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .111 — — — — 0.0
1911 BOS AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1911 CIN NL 35 56 3 12 2 2 0 6 0 4 14 .214 .266 (-20%) .336 (-21%) .356 (-10%) .693 (-15%) 0.0
1912 CIN NL 7 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1914 BLF FL 41 59 4 12 4 1 0 3 0 3 21 .203 .255 (-20%) .322 (-25%) .339 (-10%) .661 (-17%) -175.0
1915 BLF FL 17 29 2 5 2 1 1 4 0 0 7 .172 — — — — 0.0
1915 BRF FL 15 20 3 4 1 0 0 3 0 3 5 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 369 766 81 156 41 9 2 85 3 64 217 .204 — — — — -879

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 (727 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Frank Smith — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1863743964243.171
Away1873944292032.234

Pitching — Home / Away

Frank Smith — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1761160.19211513305501.17
Away1781107.010892363605151.92

Last 10 Games — Batting

Frank Smith — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1915-09-13 BRFPTFL 000000000
1915-09-04 BRFBLFW 400000000
1915-09-03 BRFBLFW 000000000
1915-08-26 BRFBLFW 100000001
1915-08-24 BRFBLFW 332100211
1915-08-10 BRFKCFL 000000000
1915-08-04 BRFPTFL 200000010
1915-07-28 BRFKCFW 200000010
1915-07-27 BRFKCFL 000000000
1915-07-22 BRFSLFW 300000002

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Frank Smith — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1915-09-13 BRFPTF — 0.1100000
1915-09-04 BRFBLF W 9.01011121
1915-09-03 BRFBLF — 0.0000100
1915-08-26 BRFBLF W 3.0511100
1915-08-24 BRFBLF W 5.2621330
1915-08-10 BRFKCF — 2.0000110
1915-08-04 BRFPTF L 8.01165330
1915-07-28 BRFKCF W 7.1631430
1915-07-27 BRFKCF — 1.0000010
1915-07-22 BRFSLF W 9.0400160

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frank Smith — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
P 354 197 167 782 37 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frank Smith — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1904 CHA P 26 23 15 53 7 2
1905 CHA P 39 31 27 77 3 3
1906 CHA P 20 13 6 42 2 1
1907 CHA P 41 37 20 109 5 2
1908 CHA P 41 35 23 101 2 4
1909 CHA P 51 40 26 154 4 3
1910 CHA P 19 15 13 59 4 0
1910 BOS P 4 3 1 9 0 0
1911 BOS P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1911 CIN P 34 0 16 66 6 4
1912 CIN P 7 0 3 3 1 1
1914 BLF OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1914 BLF P 39 0 10 57 2 2
1915 BLF P 17 0 2 29 1 0
1915 BRF P 15 0 5 21 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frank Smith (b. 1879) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 354
Left Field 1

College History

Frank Smith — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Grove City College Grove City PA 1901

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Bob Ewing
    124-118, 2.49 ERA
  2. 92
    Cy Falkenberg
    130-123, 2.68 ERA
  3. 80
    Nap Rucker
    134-134, 2.42 ERA
  4. 78
    Dutch Leonard
    139-113, 2.76 ERA
  5. 77
    Howie Camnitz
    133-106, 2.75 ERA
  6. 76
    Claude Hendrix
    144-116, 2.65 ERA

Frank Smith: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 22, 1904 and the final game on September 13, 1915, Frank Smith built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Sox (1904 through 1910), the Boston Red Sox (1910 through 1911), the Cincinnati Reds (1911 through 1912), the Baltimore Terrapins (1914 to 1915), and the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1915). At 5 feet, 10 inches and 194 pounds, Smith is listed as a pitcher. Smith both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is October 28, 1879, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. The bio records the death on November 3, 1952, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. On the record, Frank Smith was born Frank Elmer Smith.

Smith went 139-111 with a 2.59 ERA in 354 games, 255 of them starts. The same table counts 1,051 strikeouts, 184 complete games, and 27 shutouts. Against a 2.82 league ERA for the same years, Smith was 8.2% better. 1909 brought Smith a season-high 25 wins.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Smith

What years did Frank Smith play?
Frank Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1915.
Was Frank Smith a pitcher?
Yes. Frank Smith pitched in the major leagues, recording 139 wins and 1051 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Frank Smith hit?
Frank Smith hit 2 career home runs with 156 hits.
What teams did Frank Smith play for?
Frank Smith played for 5 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1904–1910), the Boston Red Sox (1910–1911), the Cincinnati Reds (1911–1912), the Baltimore Terrapins (1914–1915), and the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1915).
What were Frank Smith's career stats?
In 354 games, Frank Smith went 139-111 with a 2.59 ERA, 1,051 strikeouts, 2,274.0 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 156 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Frank Smith play?
Frank Smith played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Frank Smith and how much did he weigh?
Frank Smith was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 194 pounds.
What was Frank Smith's career ERA?
Frank Smith finished with a 2.59 career ERA, going 139-111 with 1,051 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Frank Smith have?
Frank Smith recorded 1,051 career strikeouts.
Is Frank Smith in the Hall of Fame?
No. Frank Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.