Milton “Milt” Smith was a Negro League player that made it to the Major Leagues for a brief time during the 1950s. Born on March 27, 1929 in Columbus, Georgia; Smith began his career with the Atlanta Black Crackers in 1948. Although once a Negro American League franchise, the Black Crackers by that time were a minor league black team. However, a player of Smith’s talent did not go unnoticed. By 1950 the right handed hitter was playing third base for the Negro American League’s Philadelphia Stars.
But
as the new decade began, the “invisible color line” had been erased and Negro
League baseball was in decline. In 1952,
Smith was signed by the San Diego Padres of the Triple AAA Pacific Coast minor
league. His teammates while with the
Padres included former Negro League players Luke Easter and Theolic Smith. After
hitting .338, Milton Smith was signed by the Cincinnati Reds near the end of
the 1955 season.
He
made his Major League debut on July 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Chuck
Harmon and Bob Thurman, both former Negro League players, also saw action for
the Reds that game. Smith hit .196 in 36
games the remainder of the season with three home runs and eight RBIs.
After
the season, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals who then released
him. Smith played the rest of his career
in the minor leagues retiring in 1961.
One of Milton Smith’s African American
San Diego Padres teammates became a .300 hitter with the Chicago White Sox in
the 1960s. What was his name?
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