Elmer Smith

Born: 9/21/1892 in Perkins Township Erie County, OH, USA

Died: 8/3/1984 in Columbia, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1914-09-20 | Final Game: 1925-09-27

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Elmer John Smith

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Biography

Elmer Smith was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, born in 1892 and active from 1914 until his retirement in 1925. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,012 games and established himself as a reliable offensive contributor, amassing 881 hits and 541 RBIs. Smith demonstrated power at the plate with 70 home runs, complemented by a solid batting average of .276. He also exhibited speed on the bases, recording 54 stolen bases throughout his tenure in the league. Competing in the early 20th century, a time characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven style of play, Smith's contributions were significant to the teams he played for, including the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. His ability to combine hitting prowess with base-running skills made him a valuable asset during a period when offensive production was becoming increasingly essential to team success. Smith's legacy is remembered as part of the fabric of baseball history, reflecting the evolution of the game during his era.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1012	3195	469	881	181	62	70	541	54	319	359	0.276	0.344	0.437	0.781	7435.5

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .344 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .437 vs. league average .364 across their career seasons — +20.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.781 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — +12.5% above 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
1914	CLE	AL	13	53	5	17	3	0	0	8	1	2	11	0.321	.255 (+26%)	.322 (+7%)	.339 (+11%)	.661 (+9%)	63.2
1915	CLE	AL	144	476	37	118	23	12	3	67	10	36	75	0.248	.250 (-1%)	.318 (-6%)	.332 (+10%)	.651 (+2%)	8.6
1916	CLE	AL	79	213	25	59	15	3	3	40	3	18	35	0.277	.248 (+11%)	.314 (+7%)	.326 (+28%)	.640 (+18%)	574.1
1916	WSN	AL	45	168	12	36	10	3	2	27	4	18	28	0.214	.248 (-14%)	.314 (-5%)	.326 (+6%)	.640 (avg)	574.1
1917	WSN	AL	35	117	8	26	4	3	0	17	1	5	14	0.222	.248 (-11%)	.312 (-17%)	.323 (-5%)	.635 (-11%)	-233.8
1917	CLE	AL	64	161	21	42	5	1	3	22	6	13	18	0.261	.248 (+5%)	.312 (+1%)	.323 (+11%)	.635 (+6%)	-233.8
1919	CLE	AL	114	395	60	110	24	6	9	54	15	41	30	0.278	.262 (+6%)	.322 (+10%)	.347 (+26%)	.670 (+18%)	1317.6
1920	CLE	AL	129	456	82	144	37	10	12	103	5	53	35	0.316	.271 (+16%)	.331 (+18%)	.363 (+43%)	.694 (+31%)	2679.8
1921	CLE	AL	129	431	98	125	28	9	16	85	0	56	46	0.290	.286 (+1%)	.344 (+9%)	.395 (+29%)	.739 (+19%)	1678.2
1922	BOS	AL	73	231	43	66	13	6	6	32	0	25	21	0.286	.285 (avg)	.345 (+3%)	.397 (+19%)	.743 (+12%)	466.5
1922	NYY	AL	21	27	1	5	0	0	1	5	0	3	5	0.185	—	—	—	—	466.5
1923	NYY	AL	70	183	30	56	6	2	7	35	3	21	21	0.306	.282 (+8%)	.344 (+10%)	.390 (+22%)	.734 (+16%)	555.1
1925	CIN	NL	96	284	47	77	13	7	8	46	6	28	20	0.271	.288 (-6%)	.349 (-3%)	.407 (+11%)	.756 (+4%)	181.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
7	15	1	4	0	1	1	5	1	3	0.267

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1922	WS	NYA	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000
1920	WS	CLE	5	13	1	4	0	1	1	5	1	1	0.308

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	870	0	1429	95	69	31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1914	CLE	OF	13	29	2	0	0
1915	CLE	OF	123	202	15	18	4
1916	CLE	OF	57	77	7	3	3
1916	WS1	OF	45	75	5	1	1
1917	WS1	OF	29	60	4	7	0
1917	CLE	OF	40	64	5	1	2
1919	CLE	OF	111	167	12	8	8
1920	CLE	OF	129	217	8	7	1
1921	CLE	OF	127	183	16	6	1
1922	BOS	OF	58	117	7	7	3
1922	NYA	OF	11	13	1	1	1
1923	NYA	OF	47	86	5	5	2
1925	CIN	OF	80	139	8	5	5