Pete Smith (smithpe02)

Peter John Smith

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• High School Burlington (MA) High School
• Debut September 8, 1987
• Final Game September 24, 1998
• Born February 27, 1966 in Abington, MA USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Pete Smith played 11 seasons in the majors.

Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of the 1984 amateur draft, Smith made his pro debut that summer with the GCL Phillies, going 1-2 with a 1.46 ERA in 8 starts. After going 12-10 with a 3.29 ERA for the Clearwater Phillies in 1985, he was dealt to the Atlanta Braves along with Ozzie Virgil for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson.

Smith went 1-8 with a 5.85 ERA with the Greenville Braves in his first year in the Braves organization in 1986, but improved to 9-9 and a 3.35 ERA for Greenville in 1987. That performance earned him a September call-up to Atlanta. He made his big league debut on September 8th, making a start against the San Diego Padres at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He gave up 2 earned runs over 8 2/3 innings to earn the win. Overall, in 6 starts for Atlanta that fall, he went 1-2 with a 4.83 ERA.

In 1988, the 22-year-old Smith became a regular member of the Braves rotation, joining young hurlers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. In 32 starts, he posted a 7-15 record and a 3.69 ERA to go along with 3 shutouts. His record dipped to 5-14 and his ERA rose to 4.75 in 28 games in 1989, and he bounced between the majors and minors the next two seasons. After starting 1992 with the AAA Richmond Braves, he rejoined Atlanta's rotation in early August and went 7-0 in 11 starts. Pitching out of the pen in the postseason that year, he pitched 3 scoreless innings in Game 6 of the World Series, but his team fell to the Toronto Blue Jays. His strong performance in the second half led to his being considered a future ace, and there was a famous picture in spring training in 1993 that touted the Braves as having the strongest starting rotation of all time. It featured Glavine, Smoltz, newly acquired Greg Maddux, Steve Avery and Smith. The first three became the "Big Three" for the Braves, but Avery faded quickly after some early success, and Smith never did much of anything from that point forward. He went 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA in 1993, his last year with Atlanta.

Following the 1993 season, Smith was traded to the New York Mets for Dave Gallagher. In 21 starts for New York in 1994, he posted a 4-10 record and a 5.55 ERA. After one year in New York, he became a free agent and signed with the Cincinnati Reds. He made 11 appearances for the Reds in 1995, going 1-2 with a 6.66 ERA before being released in late June. He soon signed with the Florida Marlins and got into 10 games with their AAA affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.

Signed by the San Diego Padres following the 1995 campaign, Smith spent the entire 1996 season in the minors, going 11-9 in 26 starts for the Las Vegas Stars. He started 1997 back with Las Vegas but soon returned to the majors with the Padres. Splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen, he was 7-6 with a 4.81 ERA for the Padres. He went 3-2 in 10 games for San Diego in 1998 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Eric Estes in June. Following the trade, he posted a 2-3 record and a 6.20 ERA in 27 appearances for the O's. He split 1999, his final pro season, between the AAA clubs for the Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2012, Smith was a baseball consultant and an extra in the film about Jackie Robinson, 42.