Paul Smith (smithpa03)

Paul Leslie Smith

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

• Debut April 14, 1953
• Final Game June 7, 1958
• Born March 19, 1931 in New Castle, PA USA
• Died August 18, 2019 in Conroe, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Paul Smith came up in 1953, playing 118 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and hitting a very respectable .283 with only 23 strikeouts. A good contact hitter with very limited power, he played 74 games at first base while Preston Ward, three years older, had 78 games at the position and hit .210 for the year. However, Ward kept the job in 1954 while Smith didn't come back to the majors until 1957, when he served as a back-up outfielder for the Pirates.

One source claims Smith suffered a concussion in early 1954 and was sent to the Havana Sugar Kings in the International League because of it, while a different source says he was sent to Havana because the Pirates were afraid Smith would be drafted.

By 1957, most of the Pirates from 1953 were gone, although Frank Thomas was still there. Playing only very briefly for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh in 1958, Smith played six more years of minor league ball, struggling unsuccessfully to make it back the the majors. Despite a brief three-year major league career, the slightly-built Smith compiled a solid .270 career batting average.

Notable Achievements

• 1952 MVP Southern Association New Orleans Pelicans