Carl Reginald Smith
Boston Red Sox
Outfield
Bats: Both Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 180
Born: April 2, 1945, Shreveport, LA
Signed: Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1963
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1966-73; St. Louis Cardinals 1974-76; Los Angeles Dodgers 1976-81; San Francisco Giants 1982
World Series Appearances: Boston Red Sox 1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1977-78, 1981
Switch-hitting, seven-time All-Star Reggie Smith was a slugging outfielder for parts of 17 big league seasons, known for his consistency and strong throwing arm. Smith's early years were spent with the Red Sox, where he was runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and won a Gold Glove in 1968. He led the league in doubles twice with 37 in 1968 and 33 in 1971. Smith made the first of his seven All-Star Game teams in 1969. Dealt to the Cardinals following the 1973 season, Smith played 2 1/2 solid seasons in St. Louis before a trade in June 1976 brought him to the Dodgers. He'd enjoy some of his best seasons in Los Angeles, helping to lead the team to three World Series berths and winning a ring in 1981. He clubbed a career high 32 home runs in 1977 and added three more home runs in the 1977 World Series against the Yankees. Smith reached double digits in home runs in 14 straight seasons between 1967 and 1980, and he eclipsed 50 RBIs in 13 different seasons.
Switch-hitting, seven-time All-Star Reggie Smith was a slugging outfielder for parts of 17 big league seasons, known for his consistency and strong throwing arm. Smith's early years were spent with the Red Sox, where he was runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and won a Gold Glove in 1968. He led the league in doubles twice with 37 in 1968 and 33 in 1971. Smith made the first of his seven All-Star Game teams in 1969. Dealt to the Cardinals following the 1973 season, Smith played 2 1/2 solid seasons in St. Louis before a trade in June 1976 brought him to the Dodgers. He'd enjoy some of his best seasons in Los Angeles, helping to lead the team to three World Series berths and winning a ring in 1981. He clubbed a career high 32 home runs in 1977 and added three more home runs in the 1977 World Series against the Yankees. Smith reached double digits in home runs in 14 straight seasons between 1967 and 1980, and he eclipsed 50 RBIs in 13 different seasons.
After a final year in the majors with the San Francisco Giants in 1982, Smith finished out his playing career with two seasons in Japan, starring for the Yomiuri Giants. In 1,987 games, he batted .287 with 314 home runs and 1,092 RBIs. Smith came back to the Dodgers as the team's hitting coach between 1994 and 1998. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.
Building the Set / Card #540
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 96th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $3, which was surprising to me as I always considered Smith to worthy of star or semi-star card prices.
The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Smith's third appearance in a Topps flagship set, as he appeared in both the 1967 and 1968 issuances. The back of the card focuses on his 1968 break-out season.
Accuracy Index: Smith's card earns a late-series standard +5.
1969 Season
Smith was one of the top offensive threats on the Red Sox, along with shortstop Rico Petrocelli (#215) and left fielder Carl Yastrzemski (#130). He played in 143 games, making 135 starts in center field and three starts in left field, while batting a team-leading .309 with 25 home runs and 93 RBIs. He finished second in the league in batting, behind Rod Carew (#510) who batted .332. Smith was among the top ten statistically in the league for slugging and on-base percentages, hits, doubles, triples (second) and RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #314
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1967-83
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions #35
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 191 in the Beckett online database as of 7/27/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#659 Johnny Podres - San Diego Padres / #661 Jim Merritt - Cincinnati Reds