Al Smith, baseball player, 1934-1945

Al Smith

Born: 10/12/1907 in Belleville, IL, USA

Died: 4/28/1977 in Brownsville, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1934-05-05 | Final Game: 1945-09-15

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Alfred John Smith

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Biography

Al Smith was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1945. Born in 1907, Smith established himself as a reliable presence on the mound during a time when the game was transitioning from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded approach. Over his career, he compiled a record of 99 wins and 101 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.72, reflecting his ability to manage pitchers' duels and navigate through challenging lineups of the era. Smith's career featured 587 strikeouts and 17 saves, showcasing his versatility and skill as both a starter and a reliever. He was selected as an All-Star once during his time in the league, marking a peak in a competitive career. His contributions to the game were notable during a period that saw significant changes in baseball, including the integration of players and the evolution of pitching strategies. Smith's legacy is remembered as one of consistency and resilience, as he competed in an era marked by both challenges and advancements in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
99 101 356 202 75 16 17 1662.3 1707 688 94 587 587 3.72 0

Career ERA 3.72 vs. league average 4.05 across their career seasons — 8.0% 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
1934 NY1 NL 3 5 30 5 0 0 5 66.7 70 32 21 27 4.32 4.29 (-1%) 922.9
1935 NY1 NL 10 8 40 10 4 1 5 124.0 125 47 32 44 3.41 4.35 (+22%) 935.6
1936 NY1 NL 14 13 43 30 9 4 2 209.3 217 88 69 89 3.78 4.59 (+18%) 216.8
1937 NY1 NL 5 4 33 9 2 0 0 85.7 91 40 30 41 4.20 4.34 (+3%) -526.9
1938 PHI NL 1 4 37 1 0 0 1 86.0 115 60 40 46 6.28 4.35 (-44%) -282.6
1939 PHI NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 9.0 11 4 5 2 4.00 4.28 (+7%) 0.0
1940 CLE AL 15 7 31 24 11 1 2 183.0 187 70 55 46 3.44 4.21 (+18%) -665.0
1941 CLE AL 12 13 29 27 13 2 0 206.7 204 88 75 76 3.83 3.94 (+3%) 47.9
1942 CLE AL 10 15 30 24 7 1 0 168.3 163 74 71 66 3.96 3.57 (-11%) -1194.4
1943 CLE AL 17 7 29 27 14 3 1 208.3 186 59 72 72 2.55 3.50 (+27%) 375.9
1944 CLE AL 7 13 28 26 7 1 0 181.7 197 69 69 44 3.42 3.57 (+4%) -1121.2
1945 CLE AL 5 12 21 19 8 3 1 133.7 141 57 48 34 3.84 3.67 (-5%) -1519.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
359 535 48 102 12 1 2 38 0 51 106 0.191 0.266 0.228 0.494 -1745.9

Career AVG .191 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.

Career OBP .266 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 20.7% below league average.

Career SLG .228 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 39.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.494 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 30.9% 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
1934 NY1 NL 30 14 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1935 NY1 NL 40 34 4 4 0 0 1 2 0 3 3 0.118 — — — — 0.0
1936 NY1 NL 43 73 11 10 1 0 0 8 0 7 18 0.137 .283 (-52%) .349 (-34%) .404 (-63%) .753 (-49%) -634.7
1937 NY1 NL 33 25 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.120 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHI NL 37 21 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1939 PHI NL 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1940 CLE AL 31 62 12 19 4 0 0 5 0 7 9 0.306 .267 (+15%) .335 (+15%) .387 (-4%) .722 (+5%) 75.6
1941 CLE AL 30 71 8 11 1 0 1 3 0 11 20 0.155 .262 (-41%) .332 (-19%) .373 (-43%) .705 (-32%) -357.4
1942 CLE AL 30 60 4 15 2 0 0 5 0 1 7 0.250 .253 (-1%) .323 (-15%) .349 (-19%) .672 (-17%) -170.4
1943 CLE AL 30 68 3 14 1 1 0 5 0 9 14 0.206 .255 (-20%) .324 (-8%) .346 (-28%) .671 (-18%) -181.5
1944 CLE AL 28 64 1 10 1 0 0 7 0 3 13 0.156 .261 (-40%) .325 (-40%) .357 (-52%) .683 (-46%) -477.5
1945 CLE AL 22 41 2 12 2 0 0 2 0 6 6 0.293 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1937 WS NY1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1936 WS NY1 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 0 3 0 0 3.3 4 4 1 1 10.80

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1937 WS NY1 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 2 1 0 1 3.00
1936 WS NY1 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 2 3 1 0 81.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 356 0 55 367 17 26

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 NY1 P 30 0 1 14 1 2
1935 NY1 P 40 0 5 24 2 2
1936 NY1 P 43 0 4 44 5 4
1937 NY1 P 33 0 3 15 0 1
1938 PHI P 37 0 5 16 1 1
1939 PHI P 5 0 1 2 0 0
1940 CLE P 31 0 6 44 0 5
1941 CLE P 29 0 9 46 3 5
1942 CLE P 30 0 5 34 1 0
1943 CLE P 29 0 6 45 2 1
1944 CLE P 28 0 4 46 1 2
1945 CLE P 21 0 6 37 1 3

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 356

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 19.0 336 0