Clancy Smyres

Clarence Melvin Smyres

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut April 18, 1944
• Final Game April 30, 1944
• Born May 24, 1921 in Little River, KS USA
• Died November 27, 2007 in Lancaster, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Clancy Smyres played five games as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944. He never appeared in the field in the major leagues, but was a second baseman and shortstop during his minor league career, which ran from 1941 to 1945. He did not play at all in 1942 and 1943, after going 9 for 43 in 11 games for the Idaho Falls Russets, a New York Yankees affiliate in the class C Pioneer League in 1941. In spite of his lack of professional experience, he was with Brooklyn to start 1944, but was sent down at the end of April, and played in Newport News and Trenton, two class B teams in the Dodgers organization, hitting .277 in 108 games; that included a .370 average in 30 games at Trenton. In 1945, he was at New Orleans of the Southern Association, an unaffiliated team, where he hit .232 in 82 games. He presumably lost his job when a large number of ballplayers returned from military service after that season.

For unknown and closely guarded personal reasons, Smyres did not wish to sign autographs. He maintained this position for many years despite rather attractive offers of compensation. As a result, his autograph is notoriously rare.

Related Sites

• BR Minors page
• The Strange Saga of Clancy Smyres and Why His Autograph Is More Valuable Than Babe Ruth