Mayo Smith

Outfielder / Manager

Born: January 17, 1915
New London, Missouri

Died: November 24, 1977 (aged 62)
Boynton Beach, Florida

Batted: Left

Threw: Right

MLB debut

June 24, 1945, for the Philadelphia Athletics

Last MLB appearance

September 27, 1945, for the Philadelphia Athletics

MLB statistics

Batting average

.212

Hits

Runs batted in

Games managed

1,279

Managerial record

662–612

Winning %

.520

Teams

As player

Philadelphia Athletics (1945)

As manager

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1968)

As player

As manager

Edward Mayo "Catfish" Smith (January 17, 1915 – November 24, 1977) was an American baseball player, manager, and scout. He had a 38-year career in professional baseball from 1933 to 1971. He is also the namesake of the "Mayo Smith Society", the Detroit Tigers international fan club that awards the "King Tiger Award" each year.

Smith served as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (1955–1958), Cincinnati Reds (1959), and Detroit Tigers (1967–1970), compiling a managerial record of 662–612 (.520). He received The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award in 1968 after the Tigers won the American League pennant by 12 games with a record of 103–59 (.636) and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 World Series. ESPN has ranked Smith's decision to move Mickey Stanley to shortstop for the 1968 World Series as the third "gutsiest call" in sports history.

Smith also played professional baseball for 18 seasons from 1933 to 1950, including one season of Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945. He spent his most productive years in the International League playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1937–1939) and Buffalo Bisons (1940–1944) and in the Pacific Coast League with the Portland Beavers (1946–1948). Smith also spent 13 years in the New York Yankees organization as a minor league manager from 1949 to 1954 and as a "super scout" and "trouble shooter" from 1959 to 1966.

...
Wikipedia