Lonnie Smith
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1994)
Lonnie Smith was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1994 for 6 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,613 career games, he hit .288 with 1,488 hits, 98 home runs, and 533 RBI. Lonnie Smith was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 13,000.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1978-09-02
- Last Game
- 1994-08-10
- Awards
- All-Star
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,613 | 5,170 | 909 | 1,488 | 273 | 58 | 98 | 533 | 370 | 623 | 849 | .288 | .371 | .420 | .791 | 13,000 |
Career AVG .288 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.
Career OBP .371 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.
Career SLG .420 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.
Career OPS .791 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — +10.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 17 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 17 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 100 | 298 | 69 | 101 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 33 | 26 | 48 | .339 | .264 (+28%) | .326 (+22%) | .387 (+14%) | .714 (+18%) | 1053.1 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 62 | 176 | 40 | 57 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 18 | 14 | .324 | .255 (+27%) | .320 (+26%) | .368 (+28%) | .688 (+27%) | 852.7 |
| 1982 | SLN | NL | 156 | 592 | 120 | 182 | 35 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 68 | 64 | 74 | .307 | .261 (+18%) | .324 (+18%) | .388 (+12%) | .712 (+14%) | 1897.0 |
| 1983 | SLN | NL | 130 | 492 | 83 | 158 | 31 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 43 | 41 | 55 | .321 | .260 (+23%) | .324 (+17%) | .389 (+16%) | .714 (+17%) | 1677.8 |
| 1984 | SLN | NL | 145 | 504 | 77 | 126 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 49 | 50 | 70 | 90 | .250 | .259 (-4%) | .322 (+8%) | .384 (-11%) | .707 (-2%) | 37.1 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | 28 | 96 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 20 | .260 | .257 (+1%) | .323 (+17%) | .390 (-17%) | .714 (-2%) | 47.1 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | 120 | 448 | 77 | 115 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 69 | .257 | .257 (avg) | .323 (-1%) | .390 (-6%) | .714 (-4%) | 47.1 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | 134 | 508 | 80 | 146 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 26 | 46 | 78 | .287 | .257 (+12%) | .325 (+10%) | .395 (+4%) | .720 (+7%) | 741.6 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | 48 | 167 | 26 | 42 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 31 | .251 | .262 (-4%) | .331 (+7%) | .415 (-14%) | .746 (-4%) | -50.1 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 43 | 114 | 14 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 25 | .237 | .254 (-7%) | .317 (-7%) | .377 (-9%) | .695 (-8%) | -142.9 |
| 1989 | ATL | NL | 134 | 482 | 89 | 152 | 34 | 4 | 21 | 79 | 25 | 76 | 95 | .315 | .254 (+24%) | .319 (+30%) | .375 (+42%) | .694 (+36%) | 3634.3 |
| 1990 | ATL | NL | 135 | 466 | 72 | 142 | 27 | 9 | 9 | 42 | 10 | 58 | 69 | .305 | .257 (+18%) | .324 (+18%) | .385 (+19%) | .710 (+19%) | 1801.2 |
| 1991 | ATL | NL | 122 | 353 | 58 | 97 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 44 | 9 | 50 | 64 | .275 | .255 (+7%) | .323 (+17%) | .384 (+2%) | .708 (+9%) | 828.4 |
| 1992 | ATL | NL | 84 | 158 | 23 | 39 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 4 | 17 | 37 | .247 | .255 (-3%) | .322 (+1%) | .377 (+16%) | .699 (+9%) | 210.2 |
| 1993 | PIT | NL | 94 | 199 | 35 | 57 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 9 | 43 | 42 | .286 | .265 (+8%) | .332 (+27%) | .403 (+10%) | .735 (+17%) | 880.3 |
| 1993 | BAL | AL | 9 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 10 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 880.3 |
| 1994 | BAL | AL | 35 | 59 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 18 | .203 | .269 (-25%) | .338 (-2%) | .424 (-40%) | .763 (-23%) | -199.6 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 1,613 | 5,170 | 909 | 1,488 | 273 | 58 | 98 | 533 | 370 | 623 | 849 | .288 | — | — | — | — | 14,196 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 205 | 28 | 57 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 38 | .278 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | NLCS | ATL | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| 1992 | WS | ATL | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .167 |
| 1991 | NLCS | ATL | 7 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .250 |
| 1991 | WS | ATL | 7 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | .231 |
| 1985 | ALCS | KCA | 7 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | .250 |
| 1985 | WS | KCA | 7 | 27 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | .333 |
| 1982 | NLCS | SLN | 3 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .273 |
| 1982 | WS | SLN | 7 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .321 |
| 1981 | NEDIV | PHI | 5 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .263 |
| 1980 | NLCS | PHI | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .600 |
| 1980 | WS | PHI | 6 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .263 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1613 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 799 | 2525 | 494 | 766 | 47 | 287 | .303 |
| Away | 814 | 2645 | 415 | 722 | 51 | 246 | .273 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-08-10 | BAL | NYY | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-08-09 | BAL | NYY | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1994-08-08 | BAL | NYY | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994-08-06 | BAL | MIL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-07-29 | BAL | TOR | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-07-26 | BAL | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-07-24 | BAL | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-28 | BAL | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-26 | BAL | TOR | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-24 | BAL | TOR | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1356 | 1264 | 2388 | 101 | 92 | 18 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | PHI | OF | 11 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | OF | 11 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | PHI | OF | 82 | 70 | 121 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1981 | PHI | OF | 51 | 43 | 89 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| 1982 | SLN | OF | 149 | 144 | 303 | 16 | 10 | 3 |
| 1983 | SLN | OF | 126 | 121 | 225 | 14 | 15 | 4 |
| 1984 | SLN | OF | 140 | 137 | 184 | 18 | 11 | 0 |
| 1985 | SLN | OF | 28 | 27 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985 | KCA | OF | 119 | 119 | 195 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| 1986 | KCA | OF | 118 | 118 | 245 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 1987 | KCA | OF | 32 | 31 | 52 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1988 | ATL | OF | 35 | 25 | 59 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | ATL | OF | 132 | 129 | 289 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990 | ATL | OF | 122 | 113 | 254 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
| 1991 | ATL | OF | 99 | 98 | 134 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 1992 | ATL | OF | 35 | 31 | 60 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1993 | PIT | OF | 60 | 44 | 104 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | BAL | OF | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | BAL | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 1258 |
| Center Field | 77 |
| Right Field | 54 |
| Designated Hitter | 60 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1982 | Player of the Week | Week of 1982-09-03 |
| 1982 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1980 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | BAL | AL | $750,000 |
| 1993 | PIT | NL | $1,000,000 |
| 1992 | ATL | NL | $1,750,000 |
| 1991 | ATL | NL | $2,041,667 |
| 1990 | ATL | NL | $1,458,334 |
| 1989 | ATL | NL | $400,000 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | $500,000 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | $740,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $9,640,001 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 11th | 34.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 218.0 | 336 | 8 |
| 1980 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 3rd | 49.0 | 120 | 4 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lonnie Smith (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lonnie Smith: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 2, 1978 and the final game on August 10, 1994, Lonnie Smith built the record summarized on this page. Smith played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1978 through 1981), the St. Louis Cardinals (1982 through 1985), the Kansas City Royals (1985 to 1987), the Atlanta Braves (1988 to 1992), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1993), and the Baltimore Orioles (1993 to 1994). Born on December 22, 1955, in Chicago, IL, USA, Smith is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 170 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame.
Across 1,613 games at the plate, Smith's career line reads 1,488 hits in 5,170 at bats for a .288 average, plus 98 homers, 533 RBI, and 370 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .371 clip and slugging .420, Smith finished with a .791 OPS. The league as a whole hit .260 across Smith's seasons, which puts the .288 career mark 10.8% above average. No season beat the 21 home runs Smith hit in 1989.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lonnie Smith
- What years did Lonnie Smith play?
- Lonnie Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1994.
- Was Lonnie Smith a pitcher?
- No. Lonnie Smith was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Lonnie Smith hit?
- Lonnie Smith hit 98 career home runs with 1488 hits.
- What was Lonnie Smith's career batting average?
- Lonnie Smith batted .288 over his career, with 1,488 hits in 5,170 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lonnie Smith have?
- Lonnie Smith drove in 533 runs in his career.
- Is Lonnie Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lonnie Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.