Reggie Smith: A Hall of Fame Case

Reggie Smith is one of the most underrated players in baseball history. A seven-time all-star, Smith received just three votes when he appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1988. An analysis of his career reveals that he deserved far more than that. Head below the fold to find out why.

Reggie Smith spent 17 seasons in the major leagues, from 1966 to 1982. His career started in Boston, where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting for the Impossible Dream 1967 team. Originally a center fielder, he won a Gold Glove in 1968 while leading the league in doubles. In 1971, he led the American League in doubles again, as well as in total bases. He spent a season in right field in 1972 before moving back to center for '73.

Smith was traded to the Cardinals after the 1973 season, where he returned to right field. He put up 100 RBI in 1974, and hit over .300 in '74 and '75. However, after a slow start in 1976 in which he hit only .218, St. Louis sent him to Los Angeles in a deadline deal. With the Dodgers, Reggie's performance reached new heights. He was top-five in MVP voting in both '77 and '78, leading Los Angeles to back-to-back National League pennants. His best year came in 1977, when he set career highs with 32 home runs, 104 walks, .427 OBP, .576 slugging percentage, 1.003 OPS and 168 OPS+, leading the National League in both OBP and OPS+. Smith won a World Series ring with LA in 1981, wrapping up his career in 1982 with the San Francisco Giants.

Smith finished his career with 314 home runs, 1092 runs batted in, 1123 runs scored, and 2020 hits. At the time of his retirement in 1982, he was one of just 30 players with 300 HR, 1000 RBI, 1000 R, and 2000 H. He is the only one of those players who has not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He also finished with 64.5 career Wins Above Replacement and a 137 OPS+, and as of 1982 was one of 46 players to have had 60 WAR and a 130 OPS+. Of that group, only Smith and Shoeless Joe Jackson have failed to reach the Hall so far. Reggie Smith also represents one of the greatest combinations of batting, baserunning and fielding in history. He is one of just nine players ever to have 300 runs batting, 75 runs fielding, and 10 runs baserunning, the others being Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Honus Wagner and Larry Walker.

Reggie Smith compares favorably to several bona fide Hall of Famers. Let's look at Andre Dawson. Both Smith and Dawson have exactly the same career WAR, 64.5. Both were outfielders who started in center before moving to right later in their careers. The Hawk looks more like a Hall of Famer than Smith, with higher counting stats and an MVP, Rookie of the Year, and several Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers to his name. However, Reggie was definitely the better hitter of the two. Here are their per 162 game numbers:

Player	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
R. Smith	656	573	92	165	30	5	26	89	11	7	73	84	.287	.366	.489	.855	137	280	12	3	1	7	9
A. Dawson	664	612	85	171	31	6	27	98	19	7	36	93	.279	.323	.482	.806	119	295	13	7	1	7	9

Their numbers are remarkably similar, with the major exception being that Smith drew walks at about twice the rate as Dawson. This gives him a much higher OBP, as well as a big advantage in OPS and OPS+. In fact, the only reason that Dawson manages the same WAR as Smith is because of his longer playing career; in terms of Wins Above Average Reggie leads 37.4 to 28.8.

Another comparable Hall of Famer is Duke Snider. Another outfielder who played for the Dodgers and ended his career in San Francisco, Snider was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980. Let's compare their per 162 game numbers.

Player	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
R. Smith	656	573	92	165	30	5	26	89	11	7	73	84	.287	.366	.489	.855	137	280	12	3	1	7	9
D. Snider	623	541	95	160	27	6	31	101	7		73	94	.295	.380	.540	.919	140	292	13	2	4

As you can see, the Duke of Flatbush had better power numbers, but overall the numbers are very similar. The OPS+ numbers are closer than the raw OPS because Snider played in a much better run-scoring environment. Reggie's career AIR was 96, while Snider's was a very favorable 107. In fact, in a neutral run scoring environment, Smith would average 110 Runs Created per 162, while Snider would be at 107 RC. Smith's career WAR and WAA are 64.5 and 37.4, respectively, very close to Snider's 66.5 and 35.4.

Reggie Smith has more career WAR than 23 Hall of Famers who played center and right field, including Dave Winfield and Richie Ashburn. His Wins Above Average is higher than Tony Gwynn and Reggie Jackson. He has a higher career OPS+ than Paul Waner, Roberto Clemente, and Al Kaline, and more total zone runs than Kirby Puckett. It's about time that Reggie Smith be inducted into the Hall of Fame.