John Smiley, baseball player, 1986-1997

John Smiley

Born: 3/17/1965 in Phoenixville, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1986-09-01 | Final Game: 1997-08-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: John Patrick Smiley

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Biography

John Smiley, born in 1965, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1986 to 1997. Known for his effective pitching style, Smiley achieved a career record of 126-103, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.8 over his tenure in the league. He struck out 1,284 batters and recorded four saves, showcasing his versatility on the mound. Smiley was selected as an All-Star twice, underlining his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. Throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Smiley played for several teams, demonstrating consistency and resilience in a competitive environment. His contributions were particularly valuable during a time when offensive production in baseball was on the rise, and he was able to maintain a solid ERA while striking out a substantial number of hitters. Smiley's ability to navigate the challenges of an evolving game solidified his legacy as a reliable pitcher and a respected figure in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
126 103 361 280 28 8 4 1907.7 1842 806 185 496 1284 3.80 0

Career ERA 3.80 vs. league average 4.11 across their career seasons — 7.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1986 PIT NL 1 0 12 0 0 0 0 11.7 4 5 4 9 3.86 3.97 (+3%) -149.9
1987 PIT NL 5 5 63 0 0 0 4 75.0 69 48 50 58 5.76 4.29 (-34%) -464.9
1988 PIT NL 13 11 34 32 5 1 0 205.0 185 74 46 129 3.25 3.73 (+13%) 2963.8
1989 PIT NL 12 8 28 28 8 1 0 205.3 174 64 49 123 2.81 3.71 (+24%) -116.0
1990 PIT NL 9 10 26 25 2 0 0 149.3 161 77 36 86 4.64 3.86 (-20%) 521.7
1991 PIT NL 20 8 33 32 2 1 0 207.7 194 71 44 129 3.08 3.91 (+21%) 3002.9
1992 MIN AL 16 9 34 34 5 2 0 241.0 205 86 65 163 3.21 3.75 (+14%) 3251.6
1993 CIN NL 3 9 18 18 2 0 0 105.7 117 66 31 60 5.62 4.19 (-34%) -1199.5
1994 CIN NL 11 10 24 24 1 1 0 158.7 169 68 37 112 3.86 4.51 (+15%) 2221.7
1995 CIN NL 12 5 28 27 1 0 0 176.7 173 68 39 124 3.46 4.45 (+22%) 5547.4
1996 CIN NL 13 14 35 34 2 2 0 217.3 207 88 54 171 3.64 4.61 (+21%) 5767.3
1997 CIN NL 9 10 20 20 0 0 0 117.0 139 68 31 94 5.23 4.39 (-19%) 148.2
1997 CLE AL 2 4 6 6 0 0 0 37.3 45 23 10 26 5.54 4.39 (-26%) -1264.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
361 504 21 73 14 0 2 35 0 25 183 0.145 0.185 0.185 0.369 -3573.7

Career AVG .145 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 44.6% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 43.9% below league average.

Career SLG .185 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — 53.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.369 vs. league average 0.729 across their career seasons — 49.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 PIT NL 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 PIT NL 63 7 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1988 PIT NL 34 63 2 5 1 0 0 1 0 3 30 0.079 .254 (-69%) .317 (-62%) .377 (-75%) .695 (-69%) -708.9
1989 PIT NL 28 65 0 9 4 0 0 7 0 3 19 0.138 .254 (-46%) .319 (-45%) .375 (-47%) .694 (-46%) -491.9
1990 PIT NL 26 49 1 6 0 0 0 3 0 3 15 0.122 — — — — -464.5
1991 PIT NL 33 70 3 7 0 0 0 3 0 3 24 0.100 .255 (-61%) .323 (-58%) .384 (-74%) .708 (-67%) -767.8
1992 MIN AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 CIN NL 18 32 2 8 1 0 0 5 0 1 10 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1994 CIN NL 24 55 5 11 3 0 0 2 0 4 26 0.200 .269 (-26%) .338 (-25%) .424 (-40%) .763 (-33%) -318.5
1995 CIN NL 28 55 6 9 1 0 2 5 0 4 26 0.164 .266 (-39%) .337 (-36%) .417 (-30%) .755 (-33%) -334.2
1996 CIN NL 35 68 1 13 2 0 0 6 0 4 22 0.191 .269 (-29%) .340 (-31%) .426 (-48%) .767 (-40%) -487.8
1997 CIN NL 20 40 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 10 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1997 CLE AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 NLCS CIN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1995 NLDS2 CIN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1991 NLCS PIT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 NLCS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 5 4 0 15.7 24 11 1 5 6.32

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1995 NLCS CIN 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 5 2 0 1 3.60
1995 NLDS2 CIN 0 0 1 1 0 6.0 9 2 0 1 3.00
1991 NLCS PIT 0 2 2 2 0 2.7 8 7 1 3 23.62
1990 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 361 280 70 261 11 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 PIT P 12 0 1 2 0 0
1987 PIT P 63 0 7 9 0 2
1988 PIT P 34 32 14 27 0 3
1989 PIT P 28 28 7 23 4 2
1990 PIT P 26 25 8 24 2 1
1991 PIT P 33 32 5 34 1 0
1992 MIN P 34 34 4 35 0 2
1993 CIN P 18 18 7 16 0 0
1994 CIN P 24 24 8 19 2 2
1995 CIN P 28 27 3 27 0 3
1996 CIN P 35 34 6 29 2 1
1997 CIN P 20 20 0 12 0 0
1997 CLE P 6 6 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 361

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1992 Pitcher of the Month June

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1998 CLE AL $3,750,000
1997 CIN NL $3,750,000
1996 CIN NL $4,975,000
1995 CIN NL $4,975,000
1994 CIN NL $4,975,000
1993 CIN NL $3,475,000
1992 MIN AL $3,400,000
1991 PIT NL $1,050,000
1990 PIT NL $840,000
1989 PIT NL $230,000
1988 PIT NL $107,500
1987 PIT NL $62,500
Total Career Earnings $31,590,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1991 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 26.0 120 0
1991 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 5.0 336 0