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OZZIE SMITH is surely the finest fielding shortstop in baseball history. He won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves (1980-1992) as the best fielding shortstop in the National League. Originally a member of the San Diego Padres, Smith began playing with the St. Louis
Cardinals in 1982 and promptly helped lead them to a World Series triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1985 and '87, Smith also helped the Cards to National League pennants. An accomplished hitter and base stealer, Smith had a career .262 batting average and 580 stolen bases. But, it was his magic glove that he will best be remembered for. On seven occasions,
he led the Senior Circuit shortstops in fielding percentage and he was selected to the NL's All-Star team 15 times in his 19-year major league career. Only Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio with 2,581 games played more contests at shortstop than Smith's total of 2,511. "The Wizard's" lifetime fielding percentage was a remarkable .978. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 2002. |
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