WHY I THINK MIKE SMITH SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK MIKE SMITH SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Mike Smith was another successful two way player. Like Seymour and unlike Foutz, Smith was more of a hitter than a pitcher, but what a hitter he was for a while. He had a career batting average of .310, had four seasons over .340, and his career on base percentage was .398. As a pitcher, he won 75 games, including 34 in 1887. Mike Smith started his career with the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1886, going 4-4 in nine starts and also posting a .459 OBP as an 18 year old rookie. In 1887, Smith had his best season as a pitcher, completing 49 of his 52 starts and leading the American Association in ERA. In 1888, he won 22 games and improved his ERA by a solid 20 points. He had a bit of an off season in 1889 and decided to play independent ball for a while. He batted .314 for Kansas City in 1891 and returned to the Majors in 1892. As a member of the Pirates, he went only 6-7 on the mound but got a job as the regular leftfielder. He then batted over .300 in each of the next six seasons (averaging .337 during that period) and drove in 103 runs in 1893. By 1899 he had cooled off a bit, and had one last decent season in 1900. As the hard hitting 1890’s turned into the deadball 1900’s, Smith had a hard time adjusting, and was gone after the 1901 season. Mike Smith was a great hitter and a fine pitcher, providing value in multiple departments that most players simply can’t handle. Like I’ve said before, two way players are extraordinarily talented. Few players in history can claim to have as broad a skill set as Smith had during his time. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,237 season high: 138 in 1892 

At Bats career: 4,693 season high: 518 in 1893 

Hits career: 1,456 season high: 179 in 1893 

Doubles career: 197 season high: 33 in 1894 

Triples career: 136 season high: 23 in 1893 

Home Runs career: 37 season high: 7 in 1893 

Runs career: 913 season high: 128 in 1894 

Runs Batted In career: 665 season high: 103 in 1893 

Stolen Bases career: 233 season high: 34 in 1894 and 1895 

Walks career: 639 season high: 82 in 1892 

Strikeouts career: 258 season high: 43 in 1892 (Smith’s strikeout information from 1886 is unavailable) 

Batting Average career: .310 season high: .362 in 1896  

On Base Percentage career: .398 season high: .454 in 1896 

Slugging Percentage career: .434 season high: .539 in 1894 

Total Bases career: 2,036 season high: 272 in 1893 

Sacrifice Hits career: 48 season high: 10 in 1894 (Smith’s sacrifice hit information prior to 1894 is unavailable) 

Games Pitched career: 149 season high: 52 in 1887 

Starts career: 136 season high: 52 in 1887 

Complete Games career: 122 season high: 49 in 1887 

Shutouts career: 9 season high: 5 in 1888 

Games Finished career: 11 season high: 7 in 1889 

Wins career: 75 season high: 34 in 1887 

Losses career: 57 season high: 17 in 1887 and 1888 

Winning Percentage career: .568 season high: .667 in 1887 

ERA career: 3.35 season low: 2.74 in 1888 led AA: 2.94 in 1887 

WHIP career: 1.313 season low: 1.143 in 1888 

Innings Pitched career: 1,210 ⅓ season high: 447 ⅓ in 1887 

Strikeouts career: 525 season high: 176 in 1887 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 3.9 season high: 4.6 in 1889 

Walks career: 422 season high: 126 in 1887 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 1.24 season high: 1.73 in 1888 

Saves career: 0 

Fielding Percentage career: .915 season high: .949 in 1898 

Double Plays career: 37 season high: 8 in 1894 

Putouts career: 2,233 season high: 302 in 1896 

Assists career: 315 season high: 67 in 1887 

Caught Stealing Percentage N/A 

Pickoffs career: N/A 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-also known as Elmer Smith 

-allowed the fewest hits per nine innings in the AA in 1887 (8.0) and the fewest homers per nine in 1888 (0.0) 

-hit two home runs each off of Hall of Famers Cy Young and Kid Nichols and one each off of Tony Mullane, Sam Leever, and Cy Seymour 

-also played 123 games in rightfield and 39 in centerfield