Charles J. Smith (December 11, 1840 – November 15, 1897) was a Major League Baseball infielder. He played in 14 games for the New York Mutuals in 1871, hitting .264 in 72 at bats.
| Charley Smith | |
|---|---|
| Infielder | |
| Born: December 11, 1840 Brooklyn, New York | |
| Died: November 15, 1897 (aged 56) Great Neck, New York | |
Batted: Unknown Threw: Unknown | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 18, 1871, for the New York Mutuals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 1, 1871, for the New York Mutuals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .264 |
| Runs scored | 15 |
| Runs batted in | 5 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
In the pre-professional era of early baseball, Smith played for the amateur Brooklyn Enterprise until 1858, when he joined the Brooklyn Atlantics, for whom he played until 1870.
Smith's 1897 obit in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle included the following: "Smith was regarded as the premier third baseman. He had a quick eye, fearlessly faced the swiftly batted balls, which then contained much more rubber than those now in use, and captured difficult fly balls in a graceful manner. He was also a remarkably accurate thrower, a splendid batsman and a dashing base runner. The late Harry Wright said once in speaking about Charlie [sic] Smith: 'Undoubtedly, he was the king of third baseman.'"[1]
References
edit- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 28, 1897, as quoted at Threads of Our Game, a site devoted to baseball uniforms of the 19th century.
Sources
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