John Smoltz (2015)


Date of Birth: 5/15/1967
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan

John Smoltz played both baseball and basketball in high school and he excelled in both sports. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1985 as a twenty-second round draft pick and the 574th overall selection. The Tigers kept him in their minor league system until they traded him to the Atlanta Braves on August 12, 1987.

Atlanta Braves

Smoltz spent most of his professional baseball career with the Braves, staying with them from 1988 through 2008. His first season with them wasn't impressive - in 12 games in 1988, he had a 5.48 ERA and 2 wins and 7 losses. He also played in 20 games in the minors that season.

In 1989, his first full season in the major leagues, Smoltz had 12 wins and 11 losses, 168 strikeouts to 72 walks, and a 2.94 ERA in 208.0 innings in 29 games. The following season he pitched 231.1 innings in 34 games and he had a 3.85 ERA with 14 wins and 11 losses.

Smoltz had a strong season in 1992, finishing with a career low 2.85 ERA as a starting pitcher. He led the NL in strikeouts with 215. He finished the season with 15 wins and 12 losses in 246.2 innings in 35 games. He was even better in the postseason and he won the NLCS MVP award. In five games, he pitched 33.0 innings and he gave up 27 hits and 10 earned runs. He had 3 wins and no losses and a 2.73 ERA.

Smoltz had average seasons from 1993 through 1995, but he had a strong season in 1996. That year, he led the NL in wins and strikeouts and he won the Cy Young award. He finished the season with a 2.94 ERA, a career high 24 wins to 8 losses, and a career high 276 strikeouts to 55 walks in 253.2 innings in 35 games. He won the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award in 1996.

In 1997, Smoltz pitched a career high 256.0 innings and he had 15 wins to 12 losses, 241 strikeouts to 63 walks, and a 3.02 ERA in 35 games. He also excelled with the bat, winning the NL Silver Slugger award for pitchers. In 79 at-bats, he had 18 hits, including 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .228 batting average. He struck out 22 times and walked 9 times.

Smoltz landed on the DL for the first time in his major league career in 1998. He played well, however, in the 26 games when he was healthy. He finished with 17 wins and 3 losses and a 2.90 ERA in 167.2 innings. The following season, he had 11 wins and 8 losses and a 3.19 ERA in 186.1 innings in 29 games.

Smoltz had Tommy John surgery in 2000 and he missed the entire season. When he returned to the Braves in 2001, he was part of the bullpen instead of the starting rotation. He continued as a relief pitcher through 2004, excelling at that position.

In 2001, Smoltz pitched in 5 games as a starter and 31 games in relief. He finished the season with 10 saves and a 3.36 ERA in 59.0 innings.

Smoltz became the Braves' closer in 2002 and he had an outstanding season. He led the NL in saves with 55 and he won the NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award. He finished the season with 3 wins and 2 losses, 85 strikeouts to 24 walks, and a 3.25 ERA in 80.1 innings in a career high 75 games.

Smoltz had a career low ERA of 1.12 and 45 saves in 62 games in 2003. The following season, his last one as a relief pitcher, he had a 2.76 ERA and 44 saves in 73 games.

Smoltz moved back to the Braves' starting rotation in 2005. He had a strong season, finishing with 14 wins and 7 losses, 169 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a 3.06 ERA in 229.2 innings in 33 games. That season, he was recognized for his humanitarian contributions to the Atlanta community, winning both the Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig awards.

In 2006, Smoltz again led the NL in wins, this time with 16 wins to 9 losses. He finished the season with 211 strikeouts to 55 walks and a 3.49 ERA in 205.2 innings in 35 games. The following year, he had 14 wins to 8 losses and a 3.11 ERA in 32 games. He won the Branch Rickey award in 2007.

Smoltz finished his career with the Braves in 2008, but it was not a good year for him. He had shoulder ending surgery on June 10th after pitching in just 6 games.

Final Year as a Player

Smoltz became a free agent on October 31, 2008. He signed a one year contract with the Boston Red Sox in January, 2009.

After just eight games with the Red Sox in 2009, Smoltz was released on August 17th. Two days later, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and he pitched in seven games with them. He finished his pitching career with 3 wins and 8 losses and a 6.35 ERA in 78.0 innings in 2009.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Cy Young award
  • Rolaids Relief Man award
  • Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award
  • NLCS award
  • Silver Slugger award
  • Roberto Clemente award
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award
  • Branch Rickey award
  • Led the NL in wins (2 times)
  • Led the NL in strikeouts (2 times)

Career Statistics

Career pitching statistics for Smoltz include:

  • 723 games played
  • 3,473.0 innings pitched
  • 213-155 win-loss record
  • 154 saves
  • 3,084 strikeouts to 1,010 walks
  • 3.33 ERA

Career postseason statistics for Smoltz include:

  • 41 games played
  • 209.0 innings pitched
  • 15-4 win-loss record
  • 199 strikeouts to 67 walks
  • 2.67 ERA

Post Playing Career

Smoltz started a broadcasting career in 2008 as a color analyst for Peachtree TV. He also worked for them in 2010. In 2014, he was hired by Fox Sports as a game analyst. He has continued in that position, working both during the regular season and the postseason on Fox Sports TV broadcasts.

Smoltz was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 on the first ballot with 82.9% of the votes.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - John Smoltz
ESPN - John Smoltz
Baseball Reference - John Smoltz

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