Pete Smith (baseball, born 1966)

Peter John Smith (born February 27, 1966 in Abington, Massachusetts) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (21st overall pick) in the amateur draft of 1984. Smith was signed on June 14, 1984 to play Minor League Baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He batted and threw right-handed during his baseball career.

Career
The Philadelphia Phillies traded Smith to the Atlanta Braves, along with Ozzie Virgil, Jr., for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson. Smith made his major league debut on September 8, 1987 with the Atlanta Braves at age 21. In 1988, Smith pitched 3 shutouts, the season after his rookie year. The Atlanta Braves hoped Smith would turn into an ace pitcher as John Smoltz and Tom Glavine were becoming. But in 1989, Smith's earned run average (ERA) was at 4.75 at the end of the season, higher than his ERA in 1988 when it was at 3.69. He played the 1987-1993 seasons with the Atlanta Braves before being traded to the New York Mets for Dave Gallagher. With the New York Mets, Smith only played the 1994 season before being granted free agency on October 25 of that year. On December 1, 1994, Smith was signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds. He played with the Cincinnati Reds for only half of the 1995 season before being traded to the Florida Marlins on July 1, 1995 as a free agent. On December 23, 1995, Smith signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres playing one season with them.

On June 9, 1998, Smith was traded to the Baltimore Orioles organization for minor leaguer, Eric Estes. He played his final game on September 24, 1998. He earned a career ERA of 4.55, striking out 640 batters. Smith also pitched 4 shutouts throughout his major league career.

References

 Other websites 
 Baseball Reference
 Baseball Almanac
 Baseball prospectus statistics
 Sportsillustrated  statistics
 Baseball Reference (Minor league) statistics through minor league career

Category:1966 births
Category:American baseball players
Category:Atlanta Braves players
Category:Baltimore Orioles players
Category:Cincinnati Reds players
Category:Living people
Category:New York Mets players
Category:San Diego Padres players
Category:Sportspeople from Massachusetts