Reggie Smith

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Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA) is a former outfielder, coach and front office executive in American Major League Baseball. During a 17-year (1967-82) big league career, Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw righthanded. In his prime, he had one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the big leagues.

Smith grew up in Los Angeles, California. He played for the Boston Red Sox (1967-73), St. Louis Cardinals (1974-76), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-81) and San Francisco Giants (1982). He appeared in four World Series, including during his rookie 1967 season for the Red Sox, and three (1977, 1978 and 1981) for the Dodgers. He hit three home runs in the 1977 series.

Overshadowed by his more famous Reggie contemporary, Reggie Jackson, Smith was a better player than Jackson in at least 3 seasons. Smith walked a lot, could switch hit, and had an excellent throwing arm. Smith played at least 70 games in 13 different seasons -- and in every one of those 13 seasons, his team had a winning record.

In the 1978 season, Dodger pitcher Don Sutton went public with comments that many teammates shared -- namely, that Reggie Smith was a more valuable player to the Dodgers than the far more celebrated Steve Garvey. This led to an infamous clubhouse wrestling match between Sutton and Garvey.

In the 1981 season as a member of the Dodgers, Smith was taunted by Giants fan Michael Dooley, who then threw a batting helmet at him. Smith then jumped into the stands at Candlestick Park and started punching him. He was ejected from the game, and Dooley was arrested. Five months later, Smith joined the Giants as a free agent.

After his playing career ended, Smith rejoined the Dodgers, where he served as a coach under Tommy Lasorda, a minor league instructor and a player development official. Smith also served as hitting coach for Team USA during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.