Pete Smith (baseball)

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Pete Smith
Retired — No. 25
Starting pitcher
Born: February 27, 1966 (1966-02-27) (age 42)
Abington, Massachusetts
Bats: Right Throws: Right 
Major League Baseball debut
September 8, 1987 for the Atlanta Braves
Win-Loss     47-71
Earned run average     4.55
Strikeouts     640
Teams

Peter John Smith (born February 27, 1966 in Abington, Massachusetts) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (21st overall pick) in the amateur draft of 1984.[1] Smith was signed on June 14, 1984 to play Minor League Baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies orginization. He batted and threw right-handed during his baseball career.

[edit] Career

The Philadelphia Phillies traded Smith to the Atlanta Braves, along with Ozzie Virgil, Jr., for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson. Smith made his major league debut on September 8, 1987 with the Atlanta Braves at age 21. In 1988, Smith pitched 3 shutouts, the season after his rookie year.[2] The Atlanta Braves hoped Smith would develop into an ace pitcher as John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were developing to be.[3] But in 1989, Smith's ERA was at 4.75 at the end of the season, higher than his ERA in 1988 when it was at 3.69. He played the 1987-1993 seasons with the Atlanta Braves before being traded to the New York Mets for Dave Gallagher.[4] With the New York Mets, Smith only played the 1994 season before being granted free agency on October 25 of that year. On December 1, 1994, Smith was signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds. He played with the Cincinnati Reds for only half of the 1995 season before being traded to the Florida Marlins on July 1, 1995 as a free agent. On December 23, 1995, Smith signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres playing one season with them.

On June 9, 1998, Smith was traded to the minor league system of the Baltimore Orioles for minor leaguer, Eric Estes. He played his final game on September 24, 1998. He earned a career ERA of 4.55, striking out 640 batters. Smith also pitched 4 shutouts throughout his major league career.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 1984 amateur draft. www.thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  2. ^ Statistics of Pete Smith. www.baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  3. ^ Ace pitcher hopeful. www.baseballlibrary.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  4. ^ Smith traded to the New York Mets for Dave Gallagher. query.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.

[edit] External links