Ron Smith's Record, Revised

Click on Career Record to Enlarge

Ed Washuta did some new research on Acestry.com, and found Ron Smith had a "baseball age." He was born in 1914 rather than 1918. Additionally, Ed has the Minor League Digests for the 1948 & 1949 period, and he is listed as still on the Sacramento roster, not as voluntarily retired, so he could have been injured. However, Cuno Barragon once (or twice, because he was so pissed off) told me that Buzzy Bavasi would not release him for five seasons so he could find a slot with another club (probably in his hometown of Sacramento), and Cuno remained on the Dodger (or Spokane roster) for five years after he actually retired. Things like that happened all the time when players had no power at all.

I had a source that listed the Visalia entry as Ronald V., but Ed thought it might be another player, and so I went back and did the research I should have done in the first place-- checking the official average sheets rather than the guide. Bill Weiss listed the Visalia player correctly as Ronald G. Smith, the guide had plain "Ronald," and that was where I made my mistake. Not my first, and not my last. Take that one to the bank!

This only re-proves the adage that one can never do enough research.