Charles William Smith

Charles William Smith (September 15, 1937 – November 29, 1994) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1960 to 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Chicago Cubs.

Smith was a regular third baseman for only half of his ten MLB seasons, but he was involved in some of the most important trades of the 1960s. He was a key component in deals that involved Turk Farrell, Roy Sievers, Ken Boyer and Roger Maris. Combined, those players were named to 19 All-Star teams and Maris (1960 and 1961) and Boyer (1964) were their league's former Most Valuable Players. The Maris trade sent Smith from the Cardinals to the Yankees in a one-for-one swap on December 8, 1966.

Smith signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop and rose rapidly through their farm system, culminating in his selection as the Pacific Coast League's all-star midfielder in 1960. He reached double figures in home runs three times during his Major League career, hitting 20 for the 1964 Mets, but he also racked up over 100 strikeouts three times and batted only .239 with an OPS of .649 during his 771-game MLB tenure. His 594 hits included 83 doubles, 18 triples and 69 home runs. He retired in 1969 after 13 pro seasons.

Smith died suddenly on November 29, 1994 after undergoing knee surgery at age 57 in Reno, Nevada, where he made his home after his pro debut at age 19 with the 1957 Class C Reno Silver Sox.