Kenneth Earl Smith (born February 12, 1958) is a former major league baseball player who served as a reserve first baseman for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

between 1981 and 1983.The Baseball Cube
/ref> Smith was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, where he gained early recognition as a star athlete at the city's East High School. In 1976, he garnered national attention when he became the Atlanta Braves' No. 1 selection in the free agent draft.Perazich, Chuck (May 15, 1977). "Kenny Smith Hitting .369 With Atlanta Farm Team". ''The Youngstown Vindicator''. Following a spring training that produced a .400 average, Smith was assigned to a Class A club in

Greenwood, South Carolina Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 22,545 down from 23,222 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Lander University. Geography and C ...

, in the

Western Carolinas League file:John Henry Moss.png, Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in Am ...

Minor league career

At Greenwood, Smith earned a batting average of .369 in 1977. Club manager Bobby Dews assessed Smith's performance as follows: "Kenny Smith is one of our top prospects in our minor league organization. And, he's a sure bet to make it to the parent Atlanta Braves if he continues to display the desire and determination that has him hitting at a .369 figure right now." Between 1978 and 1979, Smith played for an Atlanta Braves Class AA farm team in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

and spent an additional two years with a Class AAA club in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Major league career

Smith joined the Braves in 1981 and saw action in three regular season games. During spring training of 1982, he batted over .300 and looked forward to playing with the Braves in the upcoming season. In April of that year, however, Smith was optioned to Richmond after Atlanta obtained first baseman-outfielder

Bob Watson Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, coach and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984, most prominently as a member of ...

from the

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. He often found himself in transit from Richmond to Atlanta. In 1982, Smith batted .293 in a pinch-hitting role for the Braves. He spent his final season with the Braves. On October 20, 1983, Smith was granted free agency. He re-signed with the Braves to a minor league contract and played two more seasons in the Braves organization. After spending the 1986 season playing in the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

organization, his professional baseball playing career ended.

Sources

External links

, o
RetrosheetPelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ken 1958 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Youngstown, Ohio Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Ganaderos de Tabasco players Greenville Braves players Greenwood Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Hagerstown Suns players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Savannah Braves players Youngstown State Penguins baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Italy Rimini Baseball Club players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople