Hal Smith

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1964)

Hal Smith was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964 for 5 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 10 seasons. In 879 career games, he hit .267 with 715 hits, 58 home runs, and 323 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

AVG .267
HR 58
RBI 323
H 715
OPS .711
PIV -556
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 195 lb
Born
12/7/1930 in West Frankfort, IL, USA
Died
1/9/2020 in Columbus, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1955-04-11
Last Game
1964-07-22

Full name: Harold Wayne Smith

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Career Batting Statistics

Hal Smith — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
879 2,682 269 715 148 10 58 323 7 196 361 .267 .317 .394 .711 -556

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .317 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .394 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .711 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hal Smith (b. 1930) 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
1955 BAL AL 135 424 41 115 23 4 4 52 1 30 21 .271 .258 (+5%) .332 (-4%) .393 (-5%) .726 (-5%) -412.5
1956 BAL AL 77 229 16 60 14 0 3 18 1 17 22 .262 .258 (+1%) .331 (-5%) .397 (-9%) .728 (-7%) -271.4
1956 KC1 AL 37 142 15 39 9 2 2 24 1 3 12 .275 .258 (+6%) .331 (-14%) .397 (+3%) .728 (-5%) -271.4
1957 KC1 AL 107 360 41 109 26 0 13 41 2 14 44 .303 .257 (+18%) .323 (+1%) .391 (+24%) .715 (+13%) 767.8
1958 KC1 AL 99 315 32 86 19 2 5 46 0 25 47 .273 .257 (+6%) .324 (-1%) .394 (avg) .719 (avg) -88.2
1959 KC1 AL 108 292 36 84 12 0 5 31 0 34 39 .288 .256 (+12%) .323 (+13%) .392 (-3%) .715 (+4%) 375.4
1960 PIT NL 77 258 37 76 18 2 11 45 1 22 48 .295 .255 (+15%) .323 (+8%) .387 (+31%) .711 (+21%) 890.8
1961 PIT NL 67 193 12 43 10 0 3 26 0 11 38 .223 .258 (-14%) .328 (-19%) .399 (-20%) .727 (-19%) -616.6
1962 HOU NL 109 345 32 81 14 0 12 35 0 24 55 .235 .257 (-9%) .326 (-12%) .393 (-3%) .719 (-7%) -467.8
1963 HOU NL 31 58 1 14 2 0 0 2 0 4 15 .241 .246 (-2%) .308 (-6%) .371 (-26%) .680 (-17%) -138.0
1964 CIN NL 32 66 6 8 1 0 0 3 1 12 20 .121 .250 (-52%) .312 (-18%) .377 (-64%) .690 (-43%) -398.8
Career · 11 seasons 879 2,682 269 715 148 10 58 323 7 196 361 .267 — — — — -631

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Hal Smith — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 8 1 3 0 0 1 3 0 0 .375

Playoff Batting by Year

Hal Smith — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 3 8 1 3 0 0 1 3 0 0 .375

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (879 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Hal Smith — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home453134812834723154.257
Away426133414136835169.276

Last 10 Games — Batting

Hal Smith — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1964-07-22 CINNYNL 100000000
1964-07-19 CINPHIL 300000000
1964-07-17 CINPHIL 200000002
1964-07-16 CINHOUW 200000021
1964-07-15 CINHOUW 300000000
1964-07-14 CINHOUW 412000000
1964-07-14 CINHOUW 410000001
1964-07-12 CINNYNL 300000002
1964-07-10 CINPHIW 200000020
1964-07-04 CINSTLW 200000011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hal Smith — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 15 130 6 0 7
3B 126 104 129 213 18 19
C 648 585 3116 320 49 57

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hal Smith — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 BAL C 125 113 497 58 8 9
1956 BAL C 71 59 313 33 2 11
1956 KC1 C 37 36 183 22 3 3
1957 KC1 C 103 95 463 55 9 8
1958 KC1 1B 14 14 120 6 0 6
1958 KC1 3B 43 42 44 87 7 9
1958 KC1 C 31 29 149 19 1 4
1959 KC1 3B 77 60 85 119 10 10
1959 KC1 C 22 18 125 10 5 5
1960 PIT C 71 66 356 30 6 5
1961 PIT C 65 55 290 18 3 1
1962 HOU 1B 2 1 10 0 0 1
1962 HOU 3B 6 2 0 7 1 0
1962 HOU C 92 86 570 65 9 9
1963 HOU C 11 10 65 2 1 1
1964 CIN C 20 18 105 8 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hal Smith (b. 1930) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 648
First Base 16
Third Base 127

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Yorvit Torrealba
    .256 avg, 56 HR
  2. 88
    Greg Myers
    .255 avg, 87 HR
  3. 87
    Johnny Estrada
    .277 avg, 42 HR
  4. 85
    Ray Fosse
    .256 avg, 61 HR
  5. 84
    Sammy White
    .262 avg, 66 HR
  6. 82
    Rich Gedman
    .252 avg, 88 HR

Hal Smith: the record in brief

The profile opens with Hal Smith's first major league game on April 11, 1955; the last one listed came on July 22, 1964. The team column moves through the Baltimore Orioles (1955 through 1956), the Kansas City Athletics (1956 through 1959), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1960 to 1961), the Houston Colt .45's (1962 through 1963), and the Cincinnati Reds (1964). Smith played primarily as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 7, 1930, in West Frankfort, IL, USA and a listed size of 6'0" and 195 pounds. Smith died on January 9, 2020, in Columbus, TX, USA. Hal Smith was the playing name; the full given name is Harold Wayne.

Across 879 games at the plate, Smith's career line reads 715 hits in 2,682 at bats for a .267 average, along with 58 home runs and 323 RBI. Smith's career OPS of .711 combines a .317 on-base mark with .394 slugging. Smith hit .267 while the league hit .255 over the same span, a figure close to average. The single-season home run high is 13, set in 1957. The hits column peaks at 115, in 1955.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hal Smith

What years did Hal Smith play?
Hal Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964.
Was Hal Smith a pitcher?
No. Hal Smith was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Hal Smith hit?
Hal Smith hit 58 career home runs with 715 hits.
What teams did Hal Smith play for?
Hal Smith played for 5 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1956), the Kansas City Athletics (1956–1959), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1960–1961), the Houston Colt .45's (1962–1963), and the Cincinnati Reds (1964).
What were Hal Smith's career stats?
In 879 games, Hal Smith had 715 hits, 58 home runs, 323 RBI, 269 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
What position did Hal Smith play?
Hal Smith played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Hal Smith and how much did he weigh?
Hal Smith was listed at 6 feet and 195 pounds.
How many home runs did Hal Smith hit each season?
Hal Smith's home runs by season: 4 in 1955, 5 in 1956, 13 in 1957, 5 in 1958, 5 in 1959, 11 in 1960, 3 in 1961, 12 in 1962, 0 in 1963, and 0 in 1964. His most in one season was 13, in 1957.
What was Hal Smith's career batting average?
Hal Smith batted .267 over his career, with 715 hits in 2,682 at bats.
How many RBI did Hal Smith have?
Hal Smith drove in 323 runs in his career.
Is Hal Smith in the Hall of Fame?
No. Hal Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.