Short Time Original Mets Player: Bobby Gene Smith (1962)
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Bobby Gene Smith was born on May 28, 1934, in Hood River, Oregon. In 1952 he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an outfielder. From 1957-1959, he would hit .300 twice in the minors' leagues.
MLB Debut: On April 16th, Gene made his MLB debut, in the 6th inning he hit a HR off the Reds Art Fowler. Smith would hit three HRs that season & just 13 in his career in 962 at bats.
Trivia: He was labeled the ultimate six o’clock hitter by Cardinal's teammate Bill White. The label meant Bobby would hit HRs in batting practice but rarely in the actual game.
From 1957-1959 he played parts of three seasons with St. Louis, as a reserve outfielder. In 1958 he was one of three Bob Smith's in the major leagues, that led him to be referred to as Bobby Gene Smith.
Original Met: In the 1961 Expansion draft, Smith was the New York Mets 16th pick.
On April 13th, 1962, Smith appeared in the second game in Mets history, batting as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning, grounding out against the Pirates Roy Face in the Polo Grounds.
Two months later after 13 games, he was traded back to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Daryl Robinson in exchange for Alex Grammas & Don Landrum. That year he was usually used as a late inning defensive replacement for Hall of Famer Stan Musial at the end of his career.
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Smith did not play in the majors again until 1965 finishing out his seven-year career with the California Angels.
In December 1959, Smith was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carl Sawatski in. In 1960, he hit a career best .286 in 98 games with 4 HRs with 5 doubles & 27 RBIs.
On April 13th, 1962, Smith appeared in the second game in Mets history, batting as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning, grounding out against the Pirates Roy Face in the Polo Grounds.
On April 17th, he collected his first Mets hit, coming off the Houston Colt 45's Bobby Shantz. On the play Gil Hodges was thrown out at third base, by left fielder Jim Pendelton.
On April 23rd the Mets won their first game in team history. The win came against the Pirates at Forbes Field. In the top of the 8th inning, with Felix Mantilla & Elio Chacon on base, Smith tripled bringing in both runners giving the Mets a 9-1 lead.
On April 23rd the Mets won their first game in team history. The win came against the Pirates at Forbes Field. In the top of the 8th inning, with Felix Mantilla & Elio Chacon on base, Smith tripled bringing in both runners giving the Mets a 9-1 lead.
At the end of April, after playing in eight Mets games, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Sammy Taylor.
Two months later after 13 games, he was traded back to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Daryl Robinson in exchange for Alex Grammas & Don Landrum. That year he was usually used as a late inning defensive replacement for Hall of Famer Stan Musial at the end of his career.
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Career Stats: In a seven-year career he batted .243 with 13 HRs 35 doubles 101 runs scored & 96 RBIs in 476 career games. He was a good outfielder posting a .986 fielding % with 30 assists, turning eight double plays lifetime.
Passing: In 2015 Smith passed away at age 81 in Hood River Oregon.