LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have been around since 1884, and in their nearly century and a half as a franchise Reggie Smith is one of the best hitters they’ve ever had. The switch-hitter will be honored on the field on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium as the newest inductee into the Legends of Dodger Baseball, an honor that’s been a long time coming.
Among every hitter with at least 1,500 plate appearances for the Dodgers, Smith ranks seventh in OPS (.915), seventh in slugging percentage (.528), and fifth in adjusted OPS+ (152).
Smith was already a four-time All-Star when the Dodgers acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals in June 1976 for catcher Joe Ferguson, outfielder Bob Detherage, and minor league infielder/outfielder Freddie Tisdale. Smith was the middle trade in a 14-month span during which the Dodgers added stud outfielders Dusty Baker, Smith, and Rick Monday to their already-established Infield. In each of the first two seasons with the three new outfielders the Dodgers made it to the World Series, snapping a decade-long drought.
Those Dodgers teams were insanely talented and, at times, contentious. Like when All-Star pitcher and future Hall of Famer Don Sutton told Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post in 1978, “All you hear about on our team is Steve Garvey, the All-American boy. Well, the best player on the team the last two years — and we all know it — is Reggie Smith. As Reggie goes, so goes us.”
There was intended venom in Sutton’s rant, but there was also substance behind it. Smith in 1977-78 hit .302/.406/.568 with 54 doubles and 61 home runs, and led the majors with a 165 wRC+. Smith finished fourth in National League MVP voting in both seasons.
Smith played six of his 17 major league seasons with the Dodgers, and 1976-81 was extra special for Smith, who went to Centennial High School in Compton and idolized Jackie Robinson.
“I was humbled, almost to the point of being a little emotional, to receive that kind of recognition, knowing all of the — let alone great players, but great men who have worn that Dodger uniform,” Smith told David Vassegh on AM 570 in February upon receiving news of joining the Legends of Dodger Baseball. “To be selected, it’s quite a humbling experience, and I’m sure it will be on August 15. Having grown up in the Los Angeles area here, it’s special. It’s a special feeling.”
Smith played in four World Series — 1967 with the Boston Red Sox, then 1977, 1978, and 1981 with the Dodgers — and hit .247/.321/.521 with six home runs in 21 Fall Classic games.
In his 17 major league seasons, Smith had a 137 OPS+ and his 314 home runs are ninth-most in major league history by a switch-hitter.
After his playing days, Smith coached in the Dodgers organization from 1989-98, first as the minor league coordinator when he worked with Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Raúl Mondesi, and many others. He also was on the Dodgers major league staff as hitting coach and first base coach from 1994-98.
After the O’Malley family sold the Dodgers to Fox in 1998, there was quite a purge in the organization, with Piazza traded, general manager Fred Claire and manager Bill Russell fired, and Smith was among the coaches let go. Smith declined an offer to manage the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in Albuquerque at the time.
In the nearly three decades since, Smith has grown his Reggie Smith Baseball Academy in Encino, where he continues to teach.
“Being off the field actually means more to me there, my accomplishments, than what I accomplished on the field,” Smith told Vassegh in February. “Because to give individuals hope and instill confidence in the things in them that they need to hopefully lead a productive life — whether it’s through the things they attain in education or having baseball as a vehicle to be able to attain those things — I feel that that has been my purpose and my goal in life, is to help others, especially in baseball, to play this little boys’ game, and have fun doing it.”
Smith has been more of a presence around Dodger Stadium in recent years, helped in recent years by manager Dave Roberts, who has called Smith a friend and mentor.
“We have a group of friends who we call The Outlaws and we take a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming every MLK weekend,” Roberts said of Smith on Friday. “He’s a part of that, and he’s the elder statesman.”
An olive branch was extended to Smith in 2021, when Roberts added Smith to his National League All-Star coaching staff for the game at Coors Field in Denver.
“I lean on him for just counsel and thoughts. Not a weekly thing, and I adore him. One of the things I was really proud of was getting him back,” Roberts said. “Selfishly I wanted to get him back to loving the Dodgers, and getting that sour taste, from Major League Baseball, getting him back to invested in the Dodgers. I think we’re on our way. Tomorrow’s going to be a special day for him, and for Rose, his wife.
“Going to the All-Star Game. He had the opportunity to speak to the All-Stars that year in Colorado, I think that meant a lot to him. With people like Reggie, they just wanted to be seen, appreciated for what they did. For me it was important to me to make that happen. Not that he needed it, but I felt like he needed it. I think the organization has done a great job in inviting him to games and welcoming him back to Dodger Stadium. It’s fantastic.”
The timing is also important. The Legends of Dodger Baseball started in 2019 as a way to permanently honor Dodgers who weren’t Hall of Famers. And five of the 10 inductees — Garvey in 2019, Manny Mota in 2023, Baker in 2024, Ron Cey in 2025, and now Smith — were integral to the team that won three pennants from 1976-81, culminating in winning the World Series in 1981. Smith completes the quartet of all four hitters who hit 30 home runs in 1977, the first time four teammates did so in the same season, all now Legends of Dodger Baseball.
If you want to honor players from those teams, the sooner the better. Smith is 81 years old, and it’s great that he will receive his accolades while he’s still alive.