In 1989, playing for the Chicago Cubs, Smith finished second in balloting for National League Rookie of the Year behind teammate Jerome Walton, who collected 22 of 24 first-place votes. Smith hit .324 as a rookie, getting 111 hits, which turned out to be a career-high. He went 3-for-15 for the Cubs in the 1989 National League Championship Series, which they dropped to the San Francisco Giants.