| Pete Smith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Smith with theGreenville Bravesc. 1987 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1966-02-27)February 27, 1966 (age 59) Abington, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 8, 1987, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 1998, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 47–71 |
| Earned run average | 4.55 |
| Strikeouts | 640 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Peter John Smith (born February 27, 1966) is an American formerMajor League Baseballstarting pitcher, born inAbington, Massachusetts. He was drafted by thePhiladelphia Phillies in the first round (21st overall pick) in the1984 Major League Baseball draft.[1] Smith was signed on June 14, 1984, to play in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He batted and threw right-handed during hisbaseball career.
Smith graduated fromBurlington High School in 1984 where he pitched twono-hitters in his senior year.[2]
The Philadelphia Phillies traded Smith to theAtlanta Braves, along withOzzie Virgil, Jr., forSteve Bedrosian andMilt Thompson. Smith made his major league debut on September 8, 1987 with the Atlanta Braves at age 21. In1988, Smith pitched 3shutouts, the season after his rookie year. The Atlanta Braves hoped Smith would develop into an ace pitcher asJohn Smoltz andTom Glavine were developing to be.[3] But in1989, Smith'sERA was at 4.75 at the end of the season, higher than his ERA in 1988 when it was at 3.69. On a recent radio show, former BraveMark Lemke said he thought Smith's down year could be attributed to injuries the pitcher hid from the team and media. He played the 1987 through1993 seasons with the Atlanta Braves before being traded to theNew York Mets forDave Gallagher.[4] With the New York Mets, Smith only played the1994 season before being grantedfree agency on October 25 of that year. On December 1, 1994, Smith was signed as a free agent with theCincinnati Reds. He played with the Cincinnati Reds for only half of the1995 season before being released on June 27, signing with theFlorida Marlins on July 1. After spending the rest of 1995 in the minors, Smith became a free agent again, signing with theSan Diego Padres on December 23.
Smith played1996 with San Diego'sClass AAA farm club, theLas Vegas Stars, but returned to the majors in 1997, playing the next season and a half with the Padres. On May 31, 1997, Smith picked up his one and only MLB save during a Padres 12-5 victory over the Astros.[5] On June 9, 1998, Smith was traded to theBaltimore Orioles organization 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.
· Baseball Almanac, orBaseball Almanac, orSports Illustrated, orThe Ultimate Mets Database