Paul Smith (first baseman)
Paul Smith | |
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![]() Smith in 1957 | |
First baseman/Outfielder | |
Born: New Castle, Pennsylvania | March 19, 1931|
Died: August 18, 2019 Conroe, Texas | (aged 88)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 14, 1953, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Last MLB appearance | |
June 7, 1958, for the Chicago Cubs | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .270 |
Home runs | 7 |
Runs batted in | 56 |
Teams | |
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Paul Leslie Smith (March 19, 1931 – August 18, 2019)[1] was an American professional baseball player, a first baseman and outfielder who appeared in 223 games in Major League Baseball over three seasons (1953; 1957–1958) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
Smith batted and threw left-handed, and stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall while weighing 165 pounds (75 kg). With his hometown only 50 miles (80 km) away from Pittsburgh, Smith signed with the Pirates in 1950. His finest season in MLB was his rookie campaign with the 1953 Pirates, in which he appeared in 118 games, batting .283 with 110 hits, four home runs and 44 runs batted in. After three seasons out of the Majors, he returned to Pittsburgh for 1957, playing in 81 games as a reserve outfielder. Sold to the Cubs on May 6, 1958, Smith played his last MLB game a month later and played the rest of his career at the Triple-A level, retiring after the 1963 season.[2]
During his Major League career, he notched 152 hits in 562 at bats, including 16 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs.[3]
References
- ^ "Paul L. Smith Sr. Obituary - Conroe, TX". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ Minor league statistics from Baseball Reference
- ^ Major League statistics from Baseball Reference