Smith’s career was a tapestry of triumphs across the diamond’s grandest stages. Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973, he anchored their lineup with a .307 average and 40 homers over three seasons, earning two more All-Star nods. Reunited with destiny in 1976 under Tommy Lasorda with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reggie peaked as a complete ballplayer, posting a career-best 32 home runs and 87 RBIs in 1977 while patrolling right field with acrobatic grace that snagged a Gold Glove. His crowning glory came in the 1981 World Series, where, at age 36, he slashed .350 with a homer and five RBIs, propelling the Dodgers to a dramatic seven-game victory over the Yankees—his first championship after appearances in three prior Fall Classics.
A statistical marvel, Smith’s 17-year MLB tenure (1966–1982) yielded 314 home runs—fourth all-time among switch-hitters at retirement—a .287 batting average, 137 stolen bases, and an .855 OPS, amassing 64.6 Wins Above Replacement that underscored his all-around brilliance. Underrated yet indispensable, he twice led the American League in doubles, slugged .489 career-wide, and held his own against the era’s fiercest arms, from Gibson to Seaver. After a brief Giants stint in 1982, Smith ventured to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yomiuri Giants, where his prodigious power (near a million-dollar salary notwithstanding) clashed with cultural rigidities, but his .972 OPS over two seasons cemented his global legend.
Retirement couldn’t dim Smith’s fire; he returned to the Dodgers as a coach, hitting guru, and minor league coordinator, molding future icons like Hall of Famer Mike Piazza into Rookie of the Year threats. His coaching tree branched wide: He guided USA Baseball to a silver at the 1999 Pan Am Games, gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympics qualifiers, the 2007 IBAF World Cup crown, and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, plus the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Today, from his Encino, California academy founded in 1995, Reggie mentors the next generation—including aces like Max Fried—instilling not just mechanics but the unyielding grit that defined his Hall of Fame-caliber journey. Reggie Smith: Power incarnate, defender supreme, eternal teacher of the game’s soul.
