Friday, September 23, 2016

MISSING IN ACTION- 1972 WILLIE SMITH

Here’s a “missing” 1972 card for outfielder Willie Smith, who played the last games of his Major League career in 1971 with the Cincinnati Reds:


Smith appeared in 31 games for the Reds, batting .164 with nine hits over 55 at-bats while playing first base.
Never really a full time player, Smith came up with the Detroit Tigers in 1963, but was sent to the (then) Los Angeles Angels where he played through the 1966 season.
He then went on to the Cleveland Indians for a year and a half before moving on to the Chicago Cubs until 1970.
All told Smith played in 691 Major League games during his nine-year run, batting .248 with 410 hits over 1654 at-bats with 171 runs scored and 211 runs batted in.