Stephen Smitherman

Stephen Lydell Smitherman

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 235 lb.
• School Eastern Oklahoma State College, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• High School Hartshone High School
• Debut July 1, 2003
• Final Game September 25, 2003
• Born September 1, 1978 in McAlester, OK USA

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Biographical Information

Stephen Smitherman played in 21 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2003, appearing in left field. In 2006, he was with the Mobile BayBears.

Smitherman was born in Oklahoma, went to Hartshone High School in the state, and attended Eastern Oklahoma State College and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Smitherman was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2000 amateur draft by the Reds. He was signed by scout Jim Gonzales and was sent to the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League, where he hit .316 with 15 home runs. In 2001 with the Dayton Dragons in the Midwest League he hit .280 with 20 home runs. He spent 2002 with the Stockton Ports of the California League, hitting .313 with 19 home runs.

In 2003, he started the season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League, where he became a league All Star. He was hitting .318 with 16 home runs when he was brought up to the majors, skipping over Triple A. After one game, on July 1st, he was sent to the Louisville Bats of the International League, but came back up to the Reds when Reggie Taylor was injured. He was in the Futures Game that year, and also played for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League.

2005 found him splitting his time between Louisville and Chattanooga again. With Louisville, he hit .248 with one home run in 40 games, while with Chattanooga he hit .278 with 11 home runs in 86 games. In 2006, he was with Mobile, hitting 19 home runs in 85 games, with a batting average of .237.

The April 8, 2004 Louisville Courier-Journal carried an article called "Battling More than Pitchers" about Smitherman's diabetes and the efforts he takes to deal with it. The article also lists some other professional athletes who have diabetes.