Clarence Smith

Biographical Information[edit]

Clarence Smith was a Negro League outfielder. He debuted with the Cleveland Buckeyes in 1921, hitting .248. In 1922, he batted .370 for the Detroit Stars, followed by .314/.346/.422 in 1923. He went 2 for 8 in an exhibition that fall against the St. Louis Browns. In 1924, Clarence hit .283. He was a backup in 1925. Returning in 1927 with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, he hit .289. His six triples tied Fats Jenkins for third in the Eastern Colored League behind Heavy Johnson and Jud Wilson. He was only 3 for 20 in the 1927 Negro World Series but made a great catch in game five to save Red Farrell's no-hitter.

In 1929, Smith hit .390 as player-manager of the Birmingham Black Barons. He led the Negro National League in average. Smith hit .358 for Birmingham in 1930 and stole 16 bases, third in the NNL behind Terris McDuffie and Willie Wells and one ahead of Cool Papa Bell. Smith moved to first base with the 1931 Chicago American Giants, hitting .242. He ended his career a bench player with Detroit in 1933. He made the preliminary ballot for the 2006 Special Committee on the Negro Leagues Election but got no further.

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1929	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro National League	8-19	6th	Birmingham Black Barons		Replaced Charles Wesley (28-39)
1930	Birmingham Black Barons	Negro National League	34-29	--	Birmingham Black Barons		Replaced by Bill Gatewood