Lonnie Smith

Born: 12/22/1955 in Chicago, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-09-02 | Final Game: 1994-08-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 170 lbs

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Biography

Lonnie Smith, born in 1955, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a successful career from 1978 to 1994. Throughout his 1,613 games, Smith showcased his exceptional skills as a hitter and base runner, finishing with a career batting average of .288, 1,488 hits, 98 home runs, and 533 RBIs. Renowned for his speed on the bases, he accumulated an impressive total of 370 stolen bases, making him one of the more dynamic players of his era. His blend of power and speed exemplified the evolving style of play during the late 1970s and 1980s, as teams increasingly valued versatility and athleticism. Smith's career was highlighted by being named The Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year, which set the tone for his impactful presence in the league. He was selected as an All-Star once, reflecting his status among the elite players of his time. Over his career, Lonnie Smith became known not only for his offensive contributions but also for his ability to create scoring opportunities and drive in runs, solidifying his legacy as a key contributor to the teams he played for. His journey through the game left an indelible mark on the history of baseball, embodying the spirit of competition and excellence during a transformative period in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1613	5170	909	1488	273	58	98	533	370	623	849	0.288	0.371	0.420	0.791	12912.1

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career OBP .371 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.791 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — +10.7% 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
1978	PHI	NL	17	4	6	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	PHI	NL	17	30	4	5	2	0	0	3	2	1	7	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	PHI	NL	100	298	69	101	14	4	3	20	33	26	48	0.339	.264 (+28%)	.326 (+22%)	.387 (+14%)	.714 (+18%)	1053.1
1981	PHI	NL	62	176	40	57	14	3	2	11	21	18	14	0.324	.255 (+27%)	.320 (+26%)	.368 (+28%)	.688 (+27%)	852.7
1982	STL	NL	156	592	120	182	35	8	8	69	68	64	74	0.307	.261 (+18%)	.324 (+18%)	.388 (+12%)	.712 (+14%)	1897.0
1983	STL	NL	130	492	83	158	31	5	8	45	43	41	55	0.321	.260 (+23%)	.324 (+17%)	.389 (+16%)	.714 (+17%)	1677.8
1984	STL	NL	145	504	77	126	20	4	6	49	50	70	90	0.250	.259 (-4%)	.322 (+8%)	.384 (-11%)	.707 (-2%)	37.1
1985	STL	NL	28	96	15	25	2	2	0	7	12	15	20	0.260	.257 (+1%)	.323 (+17%)	.390 (-17%)	.714 (-2%)	47.1
1985	KCR	AL	120	448	77	115	23	4	6	41	40	41	69	0.257	.257 (avg)	.323 (-1%)	.390 (-6%)	.714 (-4%)	47.1
1986	KCR	AL	134	508	80	146	25	7	8	44	26	46	78	0.287	.257 (+12%)	.325 (+10%)	.395 (+4%)	.720 (+7%)	741.6
1987	KCR	AL	48	167	26	42	7	1	3	8	9	24	31	0.251	.262 (-4%)	.331 (+7%)	.415 (-14%)	.746 (-4%)	-54.6
1988	ATL	NL	43	114	14	27	3	0	3	9	4	10	25	0.237	.254 (-7%)	.317 (-7%)	.377 (-9%)	.695 (-8%)	-154.3
1989	ATL	NL	134	482	89	152	34	4	21	79	25	76	95	0.315	.254 (+24%)	.319 (+30%)	.375 (+42%)	.694 (+36%)	3634.3
1990	ATL	NL	135	466	72	142	27	9	9	42	10	58	69	0.305	.257 (+18%)	.324 (+18%)	.385 (+19%)	.710 (+19%)	1801.2
1991	ATL	NL	122	353	58	97	19	1	7	44	9	50	64	0.275	.255 (+7%)	.323 (+17%)	.384 (+2%)	.708 (+9%)	828.4
1992	ATL	NL	84	158	23	39	8	2	6	33	4	17	37	0.247	.255 (-3%)	.322 (+1%)	.377 (+16%)	.699 (+9%)	210.2
1993	PIT	NL	94	199	35	57	5	4	6	24	9	43	42	0.286	.265 (+8%)	.332 (+27%)	.403 (+10%)	.735 (+17%)	880.3
1993	BAL	AL	9	24	8	5	1	0	2	3	0	8	10	0.208	—	—	—	—	880.3
1994	BAL	AL	35	59	13	12	3	0	0	2	1	11	18	0.203	.269 (-25%)	.338 (-2%)	.424 (-40%)	.763 (-23%)	-212.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
63	205	28	57	14	2	4	17	16	38	0.278

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1992	NLCS	ATL	6	6	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0.333
1992	WS	ATL	5	12	1	2	0	0	1	5	1	4	0.167
1991	NLCS	ATL	7	24	3	6	3	0	0	0	4	5	0.250
1991	WS	ATL	7	26	5	6	0	0	3	3	3	4	0.231
1985	ALCS	KCA	7	28	2	7	2	0	0	1	3	6	0.250
1985	WS	KCA	7	27	4	9	3	0	0	4	3	8	0.333
1982	NLCS	SLN	3	11	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0.273
1982	WS	SLN	7	28	6	9	4	1	0	1	1	5	0.321
1981	NEDIV	PHI	5	19	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	4	0.263
1980	NLCS	PHI	3	5	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.600
1980	WS	PHI	6	19	2	5	1	0	0	1	1	1	0.263

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	1356	1264	2388	101	92	18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1978	PHI	OF	11	1	5	1	0	0
1979	PHI	OF	11	8	19	1	0	0
1980	PHI	OF	82	70	121	2	4	0
1981	PHI	OF	51	43	89	10	3	2
1982	SLN	OF	149	144	303	16	10	3
1983	SLN	OF	126	121	225	14	15	4
1984	SLN	OF	140	137	184	18	11	0
1985	SLN	OF	28	27	43	1	0	1
1985	KCA	OF	119	119	195	10	9	3
1986	KCA	OF	118	118	245	5	9	1
1987	KCA	OF	32	31	52	2	5	0
1988	ATL	OF	35	25	59	2	2	0
1989	ATL	OF	132	129	289	3	2	0
1990	ATL	OF	122	113	254	6	12	2
1991	ATL	OF	99	98	134	5	5	2
1992	ATL	OF	35	31	60	2	3	0
1993	PIT	OF	60	44	104	1	2	0
1993	BAL	OF	4	4	5	1	0	0
1994	BAL	OF	2	1	2	1	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	1258
Center Field	77
Right Field	54
Designated Hitter	60

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1989	TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1982	Player of the Week	Week of 1982-09-03
1982	TSN All-Star	OF
1980	TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1994	BAL	AL	$750,000
1993	PIT	NL	$1,000,000
1992	ATL	NL	$1,750,000
1991	ATL	NL	$2,041,667
1990	ATL	NL	$1,458,334
1989	ATL	NL	$400,000
1987	KCA	AL	$500,000
1986	KCA	AL	$1,000,000
1985	SLN	NL	$740,000
Total Career Earnings			$9,640,001