Jack Smith (smithja02)

John Joseph Smith
born John Joseph Coffey

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9"

• Debut May 18, 1912
• Final Game May 18, 1912
• Born August 8, 1893 in Oswayo, PA USA
• Died December 4, 1962 in New York, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jack Smith played one game for the 1912 Detroit Tigers at age 18. He was one of the group of sandlotters who replaced the regular Tigers when they went out on strike that day in support of Ty Cobb.

He was playing under a pseudonym, because, under his real name of John Coffey, he had had a number of run-ins with the law and may even have been escaped from the Pennsylvania Industrial Reformatory when he appeared in the game, reason enough to keep a low profile. He was arrested again two months after the game, but eventually settled down in New York, NY where he seemed to have held an honest job.

Further Reading

• Kevin W. Barwin: "Paper Tigers: How a Player Strike Put a Team of 'Misfits' on a Major League Field for a Day", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 52 Number 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 5-13.