Earl Calvin Smith (March 14, 1928 – September 27, 2014) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 1955 season. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and weighed 185 pounds (84 kilograms), he batted and threw right handed.[1]
The Pittsburgh organization signed Smith in 1949 out of Fresno State University, where he was a two-sport star and shined most as a slugging outfielder for the Bulldogs until his graduation.[2] He saw action in all of parts of seven Minor League seasons spanning 1949–1955, before joining the Pirates on April 14, 1955 as a 27-year-old rookie.[1]
He then made five game appearances at Pittsburgh over a two-week span in which he got one hit in 16 at-bats for a .063 average, scoring a run while striking out twice and walking four times for a .286 on-base percentage. Smith played his final game on April 29, 1955;[1] four days later, he was optioned to New Orleans of the Southern Association.[4] Smith would be the last Pirates player to wear uniform No. 21, other than his fellow rookie, future Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente, who had started the season as No.13.[2][5]
Smith would try one more Minor League season in 1956, hitting a .294 average and 10 homers in 102 games for three teams at two different levels. Overall, he hit a .299 (BA)/.324 (OBP)/.456 (SLG) line and 93 home runs in 830 games.[3]
After baseball, Smith returned to his home of Fresno, California and owned a grocery store before committing himself to his almond ranch east of Fresno. In 1998, he gained induction into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]
In 2011 Smith was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, a type of cancer in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.[2]
Smith died in 2014 in Fresno at the age of 86, following complications related to his illness. He is survived by Betty Smith, his wife of 65 years, their children Joan, Richard and Lisa, five grandsons, one great-granddaughter and two great-grandsons.[2]
^Associated Press. "Pirates Send Roberts to Hollywood Ball Club". The Hartford Courant. May 5, 1955. Retrieved 2015-10-25. "PITTSBURGH, May 3 (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates cut their roster to 31 players tonight, optioning outfielder Earl Smith to New Orleans of the Southern Assn. and infielder Curt Roberts to Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League."
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