Harry Smith, baseball player, 1877-1889

Harry Smith

Born: 2/5/1856 in North Vernon, IN, USA

Died: 6/4/1898 in Queensville, IN, USA

MLB Debut: 1877-05-08 | Final Game: 1889-08-19

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Harry W. Smith

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Harry Smith, born in 1856, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1877 to 1889. Playing primarily as a position player, Smith participated in 35 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He recorded a total of 29 hits, achieving a batting average of .22, and contributed 7 runs batted in over the course of his career. While he did not hit any home runs and did not steal any bases, his presence on the field during the early years of professional baseball was notable within the context of the game’s development. Smith’s career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, just prior to the rise of the more organized and commercially successful leagues that would follow. This was a period characterized by evolving playing styles and the establishment of foundational rules that would shape the future of the sport. Despite his modest statistical output, Smith's participation in the game contributed to the historical tapestry of baseball as it transitioned from its infancy into a more structured competition. His legacy, while not marked by prolific achievements, reflects the experiences of many players in the formative years of Major League Baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
35 132 11 29 3 1 0 7 0 5 12 0.220 0.248 0.258 0.506 -361.9

Career AVG .220 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 17.0% below league average.

Career OBP .248 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career SLG .258 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — 27.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.506 vs. league average 0.682 across their career seasons — 25.9% 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
1877 CHC NL 24 94 7 19 1 0 0 3 0 4 6 0.202 .271 (-25%) .289 (-19%) .337 (-37%) .626 (-29%) -361.9
1877 CN1 NL 10 36 4 9 2 1 0 3 0 1 5 0.250 — — — — -361.9
1889 LS2 AA 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 17 0 37 35 14 2
C 9 0 47 13 9 1
OF 14 0 18 0 7 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1877 CHN 2B 14 0 32 32 11 2
1877 CHN OF 10 0 15 0 7 0
1877 CN1 2B 3 0 5 3 3 0
1877 CN1 C 8 0 45 13 8 1
1877 CN1 OF 3 0 3 0 0 0
1889 LS2 C 1 0 2 0 1 0
1889 LS2 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 9
Second Base 17
Center Field 11
Right Field 3