Pete Smith was a right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for over a decade. He was born on February 27, 1966, in Pasadena, California, and attended Muir High School in Pasadena. After high school, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1984 MLB draft but did not sign. Instead, he attended college at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, where he played baseball for two years.
In 1985, Smith was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round of the MLB draft. He made his major league debut on September 2, 1987, at the age of 21. He pitched in 11 games that season, starting 6 of them, and had a 2-2 record with a 3.86 ERA.
Over the next few seasons, Smith established himself as a reliable starting pitcher for the Braves. In 1991, he had his best season, going 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA and helping the Braves win the National League pennant. He also finished 6th in the Cy Young Award voting that year.
Smith continued to pitch for the Braves until 1997, when he was traded to the San Diego Padres. He pitched for the Padres for one season before being released and signing with the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched in 9 games for the Orioles in 1999 before being released again.
Overall, Smith had a solid career in the major leagues. He pitched in 347 games, starting 242 of them, and had a record of 108-94 with a 3.74 ERA. He struck out 1,125 batters in 1,663 innings pitched.
After his playing career ended, Smith became a pitching coach. He worked in the minor leagues for several years before being hired as the pitching coach for the Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in 2010. He held that position until 2014, when he was promoted to the major league coaching staff as the bullpen coach. He held that position until 2018, when he was let go by the Braves.
In summary, Pete Smith was a successful major league pitcher who played for over a decade and had his best season in 1991. He later became a pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves.
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