Ozzie Smith, baseball player, 1978-1996

Ozzie Smith

⭐ Hall of Fame 2002

Born: 12/26/1954 in Mobile, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-04-07 | Final Game: 1996-09-29

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 150 lbs

Full name: Osborne Earl Smith

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Biography

Ozzie Smith, born in 1954, was a legendary shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 until his retirement on September 29, 1996. Renowned for his exceptional defensive skills, Smith was a transformative figure in the game, often referred to as "The Wizard" for his acrobatic plays and unmatched agility on the field. Over his illustrious career, he appeared in 2,573 games, accumulating 2,460 hits, 28 home runs, and 793 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .262. His prowess on the bases was evident as he swiped 580 stolen bases, showcasing a blend of speed and skill that was a hallmark of his playing style. A 15-time All-Star and a pivotal contributor to the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith was instrumental in the team's success during the 1980s and 1990s. His accolades included being named the National League Championship Series (NLCS) MVP, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history. Smith's impact extended beyond his statistics; he played a pivotal role in popularizing the shortstop position as a blend of defensive excellence and offensive capability during a time when the game was evolving. His contributions to the sport have left an indelible mark, inspiring future generations of players to excel both defensively and offensively.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2573 9396 1257 2460 402 69 28 793 580 1072 589 0.262 0.337 0.328 0.666 -10280.7

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .328 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 16.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.666 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — 7.6% 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
1978 SDP NL 159 590 69 152 17 6 1 46 40 47 43 0.258 .257 (avg) .323 (-4%) .378 (-18%) .702 (-11%) -1290.4
1979 SDP NL 156 587 77 124 18 6 0 27 28 37 37 0.211 .265 (-20%) .329 (-21%) .397 (-34%) .727 (-28%) -3411.9
1980 SDP NL 158 609 67 140 18 5 0 35 57 71 49 0.230 .264 (-13%) .326 (-4%) .387 (-29%) .714 (-17%) -1937.8
1981 SDP NL 110 450 53 100 11 2 0 21 22 41 37 0.222 .255 (-13%) .320 (-8%) .368 (-31%) .688 (-20%) -1537.3
1982 STL NL 140 488 58 121 24 1 2 43 25 68 32 0.248 .261 (-5%) .324 (+5%) .388 (-19%) .712 (-8%) -587.4
1983 STL NL 159 552 69 134 30 6 3 50 34 64 36 0.243 .260 (-7%) .324 (-1%) .389 (-14%) .714 (-8%) -808.8
1984 STL NL 124 412 53 106 20 5 1 44 35 56 17 0.257 .259 (-1%) .322 (+7%) .384 (-12%) .707 (-3%) -101.6
1985 STL NL 158 537 70 148 22 3 6 54 31 65 27 0.276 .257 (+7%) .323 (+10%) .390 (-8%) .714 (avg) 255.2
1986 STL NL 153 514 67 144 19 4 0 54 31 79 27 0.280 .257 (+9%) .325 (+15%) .395 (-16%) .720 (-2%) 206.5
1987 STL NL 158 600 104 182 40 4 0 75 43 89 36 0.303 .262 (+15%) .331 (+18%) .415 (-8%) .746 (+4%) 855.2
1988 STL NL 153 575 80 155 27 1 3 51 57 74 43 0.270 .254 (+6%) .317 (+10%) .377 (-11%) .695 (-1%) 90.7
1989 STL NL 155 593 82 162 30 8 2 50 29 55 37 0.273 .254 (+8%) .319 (+5%) .375 (-4%) .694 (avg) 65.1
1990 STL NL 143 512 61 130 21 1 1 50 32 61 33 0.254 .257 (-2%) .324 (+2%) .385 (-21%) .710 (-11%) -950.5
1991 STL NL 150 550 96 157 30 3 3 50 35 83 36 0.285 .255 (+12%) .323 (+17%) .384 (-5%) .708 (+5%) 965.9
1992 STL NL 132 518 73 153 20 2 0 31 43 59 34 0.295 .255 (+15%) .322 (+14%) .377 (-9%) .699 (+1%) 374.9
1993 STL NL 141 545 75 157 22 6 1 53 21 43 18 0.288 .265 (+9%) .332 (+1%) .403 (-12%) .735 (-6%) -637.2
1994 STL NL 98 381 51 100 18 3 3 30 6 38 26 0.262 .269 (-3%) .338 (-4%) .424 (-18%) .763 (-11%) -846.0
1995 STL NL 44 156 16 31 5 1 0 11 4 17 12 0.199 .266 (-26%) .337 (-16%) .417 (-42%) .755 (-30%) -836.2
1996 STL NL 82 227 36 64 10 2 2 18 7 25 9 0.282 .269 (+4%) .340 (+5%) .426 (-13%) .767 (-5%) -149.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
42 144 14 34 1 2 1 10 20 9 0.236

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1996 NLCS SLN 3 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1996 NLDS2 SLN 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.333
1987 NLCS SLN 7 25 2 5 0 1 0 1 3 4 0.200
1987 WS SLN 7 28 3 6 0 0 0 2 2 3 0.214
1985 NLCS SLN 6 23 4 10 1 1 1 3 3 1 0.435
1985 WS SLN 7 23 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.087
1982 NLCS SLN 3 9 0 5 0 0 0 3 3 0 0.556
1982 WS SLN 7 24 3 5 0 0 0 1 3 0 0.208

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
SS 2511 2477 4249 8375 281 1590

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 SDN SS 159 154 264 548 25 98
1979 SDN SS 155 153 256 555 20 86
1980 SDN SS 158 157 288 621 24 113
1981 SDN SS 110 110 220 422 16 72
1982 SLN SS 139 139 279 535 13 101
1983 SLN SS 158 154 304 519 21 100
1984 SLN SS 124 124 233 437 12 94
1985 SLN SS 158 158 264 549 14 111
1986 SLN SS 144 144 229 453 15 96
1987 SLN SS 158 153 245 516 10 111
1988 SLN SS 150 150 234 519 22 79
1989 SLN SS 153 152 209 483 17 73
1990 SLN SS 140 137 212 378 12 66
1991 SLN SS 150 148 244 387 8 79
1992 SLN SS 132 128 232 420 10 82
1993 SLN SS 134 131 251 451 19 98
1994 SLN SS 96 94 135 291 8 67
1995 SLN SS 41 41 60 129 7 28
1996 SLN SS 52 50 90 162 8 36

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Shortstop 2511

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1995 Roberto Clemente Award
1994 Branch Rickey Award
1992 Gold Glove SS
1991 Gold Glove SS
1990 Gold Glove SS
1989 Gold Glove SS
1989 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1988 Gold Glove SS
1987 Gold Glove SS
1987 Silver Slugger SS
1987 TSN All-Star SS
1986 Gold Glove SS
1986 TSN All-Star SS
1985 Gold Glove SS
1985 NLCS MVP
1985 TSN All-Star SS
1984 Gold Glove SS
1984 TSN All-Star SS
1983 Gold Glove SS
1982 Gold Glove SS
1982 TSN All-Star SS
1981 Gold Glove SS
1980 Gold Glove SS

Featured In Rankings

#15
Top 20 Shortstops in MLB Baseball History
Ranked 15 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1996 SLN NL $3,500,000
1995 SLN NL $3,000,000
1994 SLN NL $3,000,000
1993 SLN NL $3,000,000
1992 SLN NL $2,000,000
1991 SLN NL $2,225,000
1990 SLN NL $1,975,000
1989 SLN NL $2,240,000
1988 SLN NL $2,340,000
1987 SLN NL $1,940,000
1986 SLN NL $1,940,000
1985 SLN NL $1,440,000
Total Career Earnings $28,600,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo CA 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1992 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 336 0
1991 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 1.0 336 0
1987 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 193.0 336 9
1985 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 5.0 336 0
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 1.0 336 0
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 25.0 336 0
1978 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 8.0 24 8