Paul Smith
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1958)
Paul Smith was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1958 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 6 seasons. In 223 career games, he hit .270 with 152 hits, 7 home runs, and 56 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
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 165 lb
- Died
- 8/18/2019 in Conroe, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1953-04-14
- Last Game
- 1958-06-07
Full name: Paul Leslie Smith
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 223 | 562 | 54 | 152 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 3 | 42 | 44 | .270 | .326 | .361 | .687 | -426 |
Career AVG .270 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .361 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 8.4% below league average.
Career OPS .687 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | PIT | NL | 118 | 389 | 41 | 110 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 3 | 24 | 23 | .283 | .264 (+7%) | .335 (-2%) | .397 (-4%) | .733 (-3%) | -244.2 |
| 1957 | PIT | NL | 81 | 150 | 12 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 17 | .253 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-3%) | .391 (-13%) | .715 (-9%) | -182.1 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | CHN | NL | 18 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 223 | 562 | 54 | 152 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 3 | 42 | 44 | .270 | — | — | — | — | -426 | ||
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 (223 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 115 | 274 | 30 | 74 | 3 | 32 | .270 |
| Away | 108 | 288 | 24 | 78 | 4 | 24 | .271 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-06-07 | CHC | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-06-01 | CHC | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958-05-30 | CHC | LAD | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958-05-28 | CHC | CIN | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1958-05-27 | CHC | CIN | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-05-26 | CHC | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-05-25 | CHC | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1958-05-24 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-05-20 | CHC | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-05-18 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 78 |
| Left Field | 34 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 20 |
Paul Smith: the record in brief
The profile opens with Paul Smith's first major league game on April 14, 1953; the last one listed came on June 7, 1958. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953 to 1958) and the Chicago Cubs (1958). Listed as a first baseman, Smith batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 8 inches and 165 pounds. Smith was born on March 19, 1931, in New Castle, PA, USA. Smith's death is recorded on August 18, 2019, in Conroe, TX, USA. Smith's full given name, per the bio, is Paul Leslie Smith.
Smith finished with 152 hits from 562 at bats in 223 games, which works out to .270, adding 7 home runs and 56 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .326 and the slugging percentage .361, for an OPS of .687. Smith hit .270 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1953 produced Smith's most hits, 110 of them for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Lg AVG column puts Smith's 1953 at .283 against .264, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 7%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Smith
- What years did Paul Smith play?
- Paul Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1958.
- Was Paul Smith a pitcher?
- No. Paul Smith was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Paul Smith hit?
- Paul Smith hit 7 career home runs with 152 hits.
- What was Paul Smith's career batting average?
- Paul Smith batted .270 over his career, with 152 hits in 562 at bats.
- How many RBI did Paul Smith have?
- Paul Smith drove in 56 runs in his career.
- Is Paul Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Paul Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.