Fred Smith (smithfr02)

Fred Christopher Smith

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 156 lb.

• Debut April 18, 1890
• Final Game October 12, 1890
• Born October, 1865 in Baltimore, MD USA
• Died November 19, 1926 in Chicago, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Fred Smith went 19-13 in his only season in the major leagues, pitching for the Toledo Maumees of the American Association in 1890. He also umpired one game that season.

Sporting Life reported that he married Julia Weber in Toledo, OH on November 28, 1889. Nine months later, the same periodical reported the birth of a son and gave Smith's address as Jerome Street, Toledo, a fact that is confirmed by that year's city directory. He then moved to Chicago, IL, where he died in 1926. However, the Baseball Encyclopedia had him wrongly listed as being born in 1863 and having died in 1941, until Richard Malatzky of SABR corrected the information in 2010; that information related to another person, who was not a ballplayer.

Why did Fred Smith leave the majors after a good season? The March 1957 issue of Baseball Digest stated: "Two notable exceptions, both 'way back, were Fred Smith and Henry Schmidt. The reasons for their sudden - and, in the light of their records - unexpected departures have faded into the mists of antiquity." However, we do know he played for Milwaukee in 1891, a team full of former and future major leaguers, so perhaps he just thought that team was a better situation. Sporting Life of March 7, 1891 stated that he signed with Milwaukee "at an increased salary".

He is not to be confused with a pitcher of the same name who came to the majors in 1907, nor with an infielder of the same name who came to the majors in 1913.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1890)

Further Reading

• "Fred Smith", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, July/August, 2010, p. 2.