Jack Smith (smithja03)

Jack Smith

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut September 30, 1915
• Final Game May 23, 1929
• Born June 23, 1895 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died May 2, 1972 in Westchester, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jack Smith broke in with the 1915 St. Louis Cardinals, in the same year as Rogers Hornsby. The two played for the Cardinals from 1915 until 1926. Later, Smith and Hornsby were reunited on the 1928 Boston Braves.

Smith was often among the league leaders in stolen bases and usually had a good batting average. He played more center field than anywhere else, but was frequently used in right or left field.

As an 18-year-old youngster Jack played for Regina in the Western Canada League, where a teammate was Ken Williams. Both Smith and Williams made their major league debuts in 1915, and both went on to play for a long time in St. Louis, albeit for teams in different leagues. In 1922, when Williams led the 1922 American League in HR and RBI while playing for the 1922 St. Louis Browns, Smith was third in the 1922 National League in runs scored while playing for the 1922 St. Louis Cardinals. George Sisler, who for many years was a teammate of Williams with the Browns, came to the 1928 Boston Braves where he and Jack Smith became teammates and regulars.

The player record is incorrect (as of Dec. 29, 2016). This Jack Smith did not play for Toledo in 1926 or 1927. That was a different player named Jack Smith, whose full name was John M. Smith, a 20-year-old in 1926, according to Ralph LinWeber, the authority on Toledo baseball. The younger Jack Smith also played for the Mud Hens in 1930, with 100 game appearances that year.

Notable Achievements

• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1922)