Willie Smith, baseball player, 1963-1971

Willie Smith

Born: 2/11/1939 in Anniston, AL, USA

Died: 1/16/2006 in Anniston, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-06-18 | Final Game: 1971-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 182 lbs

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Biography

Willie Smith was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971. Born in 1939, Smith made his mark during a competitive era that featured both the rise of power hitting and the evolution of pitching strategies. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 2-4 with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.1. Known for his ability to control the game, he struck out 39 batters and earned 2 saves during his time on the mound. Smith's playing style reflected the transitional phase of baseball during the 1960s, as pitchers began to adapt to the increasing offensive prowess of hitters. Though he may not have achieved the accolades of some of his contemporaries, his contributions to his teams were significant, and he was respected for his competitive spirit and dedication to the craft. His career spanned a pivotal time in baseball history, and he remains a noteworthy figure for those who appreciate the nuances of the game during that era.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
21.0 19.0 1.0 2.0 0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0.105 0.150 0.211 0.361

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
27.0 0 0 7.0 5.0 0 0 0.0 75.0 48.0 17.0 4.0 0 0 2.07

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1938 10.0 10.0 1.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.300 0.300 0.300 0.600
1946 11.0 9.0 1.0 2.0 0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0.222 0.300 0.444 0.744
1948 10.0 10.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1958 2.0 2.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.500 0.500 0.500 1.000
1959 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 0 1.0 3.0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1938 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 9.00
1946 8.0 0 0 4.0 4.0 0 0 0.0 35.0 22.0 0 2.0 0 0 0.00
1948 19.0 0 0 3.0 1.0 0 0 0.0 40.0 26.0 17.0 2.0 0 0 4.13
1958 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
1959 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 4 29 3 0 0 2 61.0 60 21 7 24 39 3.10 0

Career ERA 3.10 vs. league average 3.34 across their career seasons — 7.2% 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
1963 DET AL 1 0 11 2 0 0 2 21.7 24 11 13 16 4.57 3.46 (-32%) -295.5
1964 LAA AL 1 4 15 1 0 0 0 31.7 34 10 10 20 2.84 3.58 (+21%) -682.1
1968 CLE AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 5.0 2 0 1 1 0.00 — 0.0
1968 CHC NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.7 0 0 0 2 0.00 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
691 1654 171 410 63 21 46 211 20 107 284 0.248 0.295 0.395 0.689 329.4

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career SLG .395 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — +7.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.689 vs. league average 0.682 across their career seasons — near 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
1963 DET AL 17 8 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1964 LAA AL 118 359 46 108 14 6 11 51 7 8 39 0.301 .250 (+20%) .312 (+1%) .377 (+23%) .690 (+13%) 700.4
1965 LAA AL 136 459 52 120 14 9 14 57 9 32 60 0.261 .245 (+6%) .310 (-1%) .371 (+14%) .682 (+7%) 440.3
1966 LAA AL 90 195 18 36 3 2 1 20 1 12 37 0.185 .248 (-26%) .309 (-23%) .376 (-37%) .685 (-31%) -1072.4
1967 CLE AL 21 32 0 7 2 0 0 2 0 1 10 0.219 — — — — 0.0
1968 CLE AL 33 42 1 6 2 0 0 3 0 3 14 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1968 CHC NL 55 142 13 39 8 2 5 25 0 12 33 0.275 .236 (+16%) .298 (+12%) .340 (+37%) .638 (+25%) 0.0
1969 CHC NL 103 195 21 48 9 1 9 25 1 25 49 0.246 .248 (-1%) .320 (+3%) .369 (+19%) .689 (+12%) 409.8
1970 CHC NL 87 167 15 36 9 1 5 24 2 11 32 0.216 .253 (-15%) .325 (-18%) .385 (-4%) .711 (-10%) -373.2
1971 CIN NL 31 55 3 9 2 0 1 4 0 3 9 0.164 .249 (-34%) .316 (-35%) .365 (-30%) .682 (-32%) -294.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 93 64 641 34 4 62
OF 339 298 459 17 12 2
P 29 3 5 12 0 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 DET P 11 2 1 4 0 0
1964 LAA OF 87 80 128 2 3 0
1964 LAA P 15 1 1 6 0 1
1965 CAL 1B 2 1 9 2 1 1
1965 CAL OF 123 108 187 10 4 1
1966 CAL OF 52 40 71 4 2 1
1967 CLE 1B 3 1 8 0 0 0
1967 CLE OF 4 3 4 0 1 0
1968 CLE 1B 7 4 51 2 0 5
1968 CLE OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1968 CLE P 2 0 1 1 0 1
1968 CHN 1B 4 1 16 1 0 0
1968 CHN OF 38 36 42 1 0 0
1968 CHN P 1 0 2 1 0 0
1969 CHN 1B 24 16 159 9 1 14
1969 CHN OF 33 30 26 0 2 0
1970 CHN 1B 43 32 318 11 2 32
1970 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1971 CIN 1B 10 9 80 9 0 10

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 29
First Base 93
Left Field 287
Center Field 3
Right Field 55