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Curt Smith (baseball)

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For other people named Curt Smith, see Curt Smith (disambiguation).
Curt Smith
First baseman
Born: (1986-09-09) September 9, 1986 (age 38)
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

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

St. Louis Cardinals

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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  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 (5 July 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.
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