Red Smith
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1917-1918)
Red Smith was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 2 seasons. In 26 career games, he hit .156 with 7 hits and 5 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 165 lb
- Died
- 8/23/1970 in Bradenton, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1917-09-17
- Last Game
- 1918-09-01
Full name: Willard Jehu Smith
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 45 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | .156 | .255 | .200 | .455 | 0 |
Career AVG .156 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 38.2% below league average.
Career OBP .255 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 19.2% below league average.
Career SLG .200 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 38.4% below league average.
Career OPS .455 vs. league average .640 across their career seasons — 28.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | PIT | NL | 11 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 15 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 26 | 45 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | .156 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (26 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 22 | 37 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .135 |
| Away | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-09-01 | PIT | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-29 | PIT | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-27 | PIT | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-24 | PIT | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-23 | PIT | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-19 | PIT | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-17 | PIT | BRO | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-16 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918-08-13 | PIT | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-11 | PIT | CHC | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 16 |
Red Smith: the record in brief
Red Smith's major league career runs from a debut on September 17, 1917 to a final game on September 1, 1918. Every season row on the page belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1917 through 1918. Smith played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on April 11, 1892, in Logansport, IN, USA, Smith was listed at 5'8" and 165 pounds. Smith died on August 23, 1970, in Bradenton, FL, USA. Smith's full given name, per the bio, is Willard Jehu Smith.
Smith finished with 7 hits from 45 at bats in 26 games, which works out to .156, plus 5 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .255 clip and slugging .200, Smith finished with a .455 OPS. The league as a whole hit .252 across Smith's seasons, which puts the .156 career mark 38.2% below average. 1918 produced Smith's most hits, 4 of them for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The best average in the busiest seasons was .167, in 1918.
The position breakdown shows 16 games, all at catcher. Behind the plate, Smith's fielding totals are 47 putouts, 15 assists and 2 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Smith
- What years did Red Smith play?
- Red Smith played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1918.
- Was Red Smith a pitcher?
- No. Red Smith was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Red Smith hit?
- Red Smith hit 0 career home runs with 7 hits.
- What was Red Smith's career batting average?
- Red Smith batted .156 over his career, with 7 hits in 45 at bats.
- How many RBI did Red Smith have?
- Red Smith drove in 5 runs in his career.
- Is Red Smith in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Red Smith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.