Curt Smith
First baseman
Born: (1986-09-09) September 9, 1986 (age 37)
Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Medals
Men's Baseball
Representing  Netherlands
Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Panama City National team
Intercontinental Cup
Silver medal – second place 2010 Taichung National team
European Baseball Championship
Gold medal – first place 2014 Brno National team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Hoofddorp National team
France International Baseball Tournament [fr]
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sénart [fr] National team

Curt Smith (born September 9, 1986 in Willemstad, Curaçao, in the former Netherlands Antilles) is a Dutch former professional baseball player. He is also a member of the Dutch national team. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 39th round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

Career

Smith attended the University of Maine at Orono, and hit .403 in his final season as a senior.

St. Louis Cardinals

Smith was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Maine in the 39th round (1,175th overall) of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft.[1] At Maine, Smith was named America East Player of the Year in 2008. In 2008, Smith played for the Rookie ball Johnson City Cardinals and the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits. In 2009, he was assigned to the Single-A advanced Palm Beach Cardinals, and briefly spent time with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. Smith spent the entire 2010 season with Springfield, and was named a mid-season All-Star. On April 3, 2011, Smith was released by the Cardinals organization.[2] At the time of his release, Smith was a career .301/.336/.457 hitter in 260 minor league games.

Miami Marlins

After spending the remainder of the 2011 season with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association, Smith signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization on December 16, 2011.[3] After spending the season with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, batting .261 with 9 home runs in 96 games, Smith elected free agency on November 2, 2012.

Minnesota Twins

On March 15, 2013, Smith signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins organization.[4] After hitting .231/.301/.367 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI in 45 games for the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats, Smith was released on July 4, 2013.[5]

St. Louis Cardinals (second stint)

After spending the remainder of the 2013 season with the Lincoln Saltdogs, for whom he also played in 2011, Smith signed a minor league contract with his original organization, the St. Louis Cardinals, on January 18, 2014.[6] Smith spent the season with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, slashing .262/.322/.397 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 114 games.

Lincoln Saltdogs

On December 22, 2014, Smith signed with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. In 2015, Smith played in 87 games for Lincoln, posting a .294/.358/.492 slash with 12 home runs and 61 RBI. On July 31, 2016, Smith re-signed with the Saltdogs for his fourth season with the team.[7] He played in 82 games, posting a .331/.403/.548 batting line with 17 home runs and 60 RBI. For the 2017 season, Smith played in 95 games for Lincoln, slashing .322/.424/.474 with 11 home runs and 62 RBI. On December 21, 2017, Smith again re-signed with the Saltdogs.[8] In 2018, Smith logged a .315/.367/.548 batting line with 18 home runs and 74 RBI in 92 games. In 2019, Smith appeared in 95 games for the Saltdogs, recording a .288/.344/.465 slash line with 14 home runs and 58 RBI.

On November 25, 2019, Smith once again re-signed with the Saltdogs,[9] however he did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On February 10, 2021, Smith rejoined the Saltdogs for the 2021 season, his eighth season with the club.[10] In a July 4 game against the Kansas City Monarchs, Smith hit a 2-run home run that made him become the all-time home run leader in franchise history. The shot was his 91st home run with the Saltdogs.[11] He finished the season batting .280/.363/.480 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs over 88 games. Smith retired from professional baseball following the season on October 19, 2021.[12]

International career

Smith was named MVP after the 2011 Baseball World Cup. He played for Team Netherlands in the 2019 European Baseball Championship, and at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament in Italy in September 2019.

References

  1. ^ "Cather Drafted by Nationals, Smith Selected by Cardinals". CSTV. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  2. ^ "Curt Smith Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  3. ^ "BWC MVP Curt Smith signs with Miami Marlins « Mister Baseball".
  4. ^ "Dutch First Baseman Curt Smith signs with Minnesota Twins « Mister Baseball".
  5. ^ "Minnesota Twins release Curt Smith « Mister Baseball".
  6. ^ "Curt Smith back with St. Louis Cardinals organization « Mister Baseball".
  7. ^ Pannier, Robert (July 31, 2016). "Minor League Sports Report - Lincoln Saltdogs Curt Smith Proving to Be Bigger All-Star Off the Field".
  8. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2017 Transactions".
  9. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2019 Transactions".
  10. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2021 Transactions".
  11. ^ @saltdogsball (July 5, 2021). "We might have lost, but what a day for Curt Smith, who is now the franchise's all-time leader with 91 homers. RECA…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "For Curt Smith, a long and rewarding Saltdogs journey comes to an end". nebraskanewsservice.net. Retrieved 2023-01-14.

External links

America East Conference Baseball Player of the Year
Netherlands roster โ€“ 2009 World Baseball Classic
Netherlands roster โ€“ 2013 World Baseball Classic
Netherlands roster โ€“ 2017 World Baseball Classic
Categories