Homer Vernon Smoot (March 23, 1878 – March 25, 1928), nicknamed "Doc", was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played five seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, from 1902 until 1906, primarily as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

. He threw right-handed but batted left-handed. Born in

Galestown, Maryland Galestown is a town in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 138 at the 2010 census. Geography Galestown is located at (38.566532, -75.715626). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of ...

, Smoot was the eldest of the three children of Luke Smoot and Rebecca Wheatley-Smoot. He attended elementary school with Geneva Gordy, who became his wife in 1901. He attended prep school at Wesley Collegiate Academy in

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

. He and his wife Geneva had five children – two boys and three girls. Smoot attended

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,252 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown rose in stature when it was named one of the English col ...

, where he played both football and baseball. While playing college baseball, he also played semi-professional baseball for multiple teams. He signed his first professional contract in 1900, with the

Allentown Peanuts Allentown Peanuts refers to two baseball teams: one that played in the Central League in 1888, and another that played in the Atlantic League from 1898 to 1900. They were based in Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, ...

of the Atlantic League. After the Atlantic League folded shortly after his signing, he signed with the

Worcester Farmers The Worcester Farmers were a minor league baseball team that played from 1899 to 1900 in the Eastern League. Under manager Frank Leonard in 1899, they went 58-51, and in 1900 they went 62-63. They were renamed the Worcester Quakers in 1901 and ...

of the Eastern League. He played the rest of the season with the Farmers, except for a ten-day period in which he played for the Providence Clamdiggers. He again played for Worcester in 1901, hitting .356. Following that season, he was signed by the Cardinals. He made his major league debut on April 17, 1902 at the age of 24. Smoot and teammate George Barclay were the team's power hitters in 1902, hitting three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s each, combining for six of the team's ten home runs. According to the

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

, Smoot was the best rookie in 1902. Smoot is also one of the few players to hit two

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score a ...

s in a single game, which he did on April 25. Although 1903 was not nearly as successful for Smoot as 1902 was, he was still the team's main power hitter, belting four of the team's eight home runs. He also hit a fine .296 that season. In 1904, Smoot's

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

dropped to .281, but he also had career highs of 23 doubles and 66

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. His 23

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s and 37 walks were also career highs. He was not the team leader in home runs in 1904-in fact, his three home runs trailed behind two players,

Dave Brain David Leonard Brain (January 24, 1879 – May 25, 1959) was an infielder/outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox (1901), St. Louis Cardinals (1903–1905), Pittsburgh Pirates (1905), Boston Beaneaters/Doves (190 ...

(seven) and Mike Grady (five). 1905 was perhaps Smoot's best season. Not only did he tie his career high in home runs with four (which tied with Grady for the team lead), he also had career highs in runs (73) and

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

(16). His .311 average, which also tied a career high, led the team and was seventh highest in the league. 1906 saw Smoot's career take a rapid turn for the worse. He started the season with the Cardinals, hitting only .248 with them. That prompted a midseason trade with the Reds, who sent

Shad Barry John Charles "Shad" Barry (October 27, 1878 – November 27, 1936), known also as "Jack" Barry, was an American professional baseball player who spent ten seasons, from 1899 to 1909, in Major League Baseball. Barry was a utility player, having pl ...

in return for Smoot. Although his average rose while with the Reds-he hit .259 with them-that could not save his season or his career. After hitting only .252 combined that season, his major league career was over. He played his final major league game on October 7. After the 1906 season, his contract was sold to the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. Multiple explanations have been posed to explain the quick decline in production and from Smoot, and the quick end to his career. One claim is his eyesight became poor, although his obituary says his eyesight remained "undimmed". His obituary says he was slowed by muscular rheumatism. Luck may have also played a factor, and Smoot was just unlucky and didn't get the chance to play in the majors again. Smoot played three years with Toledo, hitting .312 in 1907, .301 in 1908 and .270 in 1909. He played with the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

and Kansas City Blues-both in the American Association-in 1910, hitting .236 combined. He started 1911 with the Blues, hitting .379 with them before his contract was sold to the

Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playing in the American Basketball ...

of the

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...

. He won his only pro pennant in 1911. He was an assistant manager and weekend player in 1912 for Wilkes-Barre, but the

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

got so bad he had to finish his playing days. After his playing days, he became head coach at Washington College for a year. He spent ten years as a chicken farmer and operating a feed business before getting the chance to be involved in professional sports again. In 1925, he was manager of the

Salisbury Indians The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball team which played in Salisbury, Maryland. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore League, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula. ...

of the

Eastern Shore Baseball League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not ...

. After only one year there, he returned to his feed business. His son, Roger Smoot, signed a professional contract with the Cardinals in 1927. He died at age 50 in

Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 United ...

from

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or a ...

. He was inducted into Washington College's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. Smoot is the only player ever to have at least 500 at-bats in a season while playing in as many as five seasons. A .953 fielder, he hit .290 with 15 home runs and 269 RBI in his career. He is buried in Galestown Cemetery in

References

SABR biographyBaseball Reference

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smoot, Homer 1878 births 1928 deaths Allentown Peanuts players Baseball players from Maryland Cincinnati Reds players Neurological disease deaths in Maryland Infectious disease deaths in Maryland Deaths from meningitis Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball center fielders Minor league baseball managers People from Dorchester County, Maryland Providence Clamdiggers (baseball) players Providence Grays (minor league) players Salisbury Indians players Semi-professional baseball players St. Louis Cardinals players Toledo Mud Hens players Washington College Shoremen baseball players Worcester Farmers players Worcester Quakers players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players