C.L. Smith, Enough Offense - 32

-
West Palm Beach Expos hitters couldn't generate enough offense this night in July 1989 and among them was their left fielder C.L. Smith, according to The Lakeland Ledger.

Smith stepped to the plate four times against the Lakeland Tigers and each time came away without a hit, according to the Ledger.

The single-A Expos went on to lose the game by a score of 6 to 2. Smith went on to a career that lasted just one more season. He never made AA.

Smith's career began that year in 1989, taken by the Expos in the 30th round of the draft out of Tennessee State University. Smith was also credited under the Charlie Smith and his formal name, Charles LaVonn Smith.

Smith's career started with the Expos in the rookie Gulf Coast League and at West Palm Beach. He saw seven games in the GCL and went 6 for 22.

With West Palm Beach, he got into 39 games. He knocked in six runs and hit just .198.

Smith moved to single-A Rockford for 1990. He got into 81 games and hit .223. He hit four home runs and stole 16 bases. That season marked his final season as a pro.

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:3,076
Made the Majors:1,128-36.7%
Never Made Majors:1,948-63.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 467
10+ Seasons in the Minors:280

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Features from the 1990 minor league sets (By Date)

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here by the date published, newest first.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1 ,  2024 Features in order of when the y appeared: February 2025  -  Doug Bair  did his job in major leagues over 15 seasons , 2/23/25  -  Nick Belmonte  played, managed, broadcast Florida games , 2/22/25  -  Mark Brewer  amassed coaching experience over long career , 2/21/25  -  Dan Shwam  had long independent league managerial career , 2/15/25  -  Jim Schifman  dreamed of pros, made it for eight games , 2/11/25  -  Steve Keighley  worked to hit over 4 seasons, made high-A , 2/9/25  -  Jim Doyle  helped Sal...
Read more

Scott Black got degree, drafted, played single season

-
Image
University of Missouri product Scott Black waited deep into the 1990 draft to be taken, but he was taken, The Columbia Daily Tribune wrote , a wait he described the wait as tying his stomach in knots. Having been taken, though, the right-hander also expressed satisfaction that he'd made it through another wait, the one to get his degree, The Daily Tribune wrote . "It's kind of sweet that I was able to get a degree and be able to sign at the same time," Black told The Daily Tribune after his selection. "If baseball doesn't work out as a career, I'll have something to fall back on." As it soon turned out, his baseball career did not work out. He played that single season . He topped out at high-A. Black's career began and ended that year in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 36th round of the draft out of Missouri. At Missouri, he struck out four in 2.2 innings of relief work to pick up a win as a freshman in May 1987. With the Astros, Black play...
Read more

Lance Smith caught, but liked hitting best, saw 3 seasons

-
Image
Lance Smith played at both catcher and designated hitter for single-A Asheville in 1991, The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote . He liked them both, but he liked hitting the best, he told The Citizen-Times wrote that August. "My favorite part of the game is hitting," Smith told The Citizen-Times then. "When I'm not catching, I love playing DH. Being there gives me a chance to hit." Smith ultimately had chances to hit in the minors over three seasons . He even got some chances to pitch. He topped out at single-A. Smith's career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 32nd round of the draft out of McNeese State University in Louisiana. Smith started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League and at short-season Auburn. He saw 39 games and hit .280. He then played 1991 largely at Asheville . He got into 107 games overall and hit .279, with four home runs.  For 1992, he played at single-A Burlington. While he continued to catch, he also got eight looks...
Read more

Brian Bennett started as catcher, pitched, saw 4 seasons

-
Image
After Brian Bennett 's first season in the minors in the Gulf Coast League, the scout that drafted him had good things to say to Bennett's hometown Palm Desert Post . The scout, Ross Sapp, told The Post that Bennett had improved his defense and his catching. He just had to work on his hitting. "He has a great desire for the game," Sapp told The Post . "He gives 120 percent all the time. That desire will carry him a long ways." For Bennett, he ultimately saw four pro seasons . He topped out at single A. Bennett's career began in 1987, taken by the Astros in the fifth round of the secondary phase of the previous June's draft out of the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California. Bennett eventually signed in early June 1987, after playing at San Bernardino County College, The Desert Sun wrote . "Mostly just relief knowing I can play baseball and not try to stay in school and do other things," Bennett told The Sun of his feelings on s...
Read more

Jorge Correa played 3 seasons, turned coach, instructor

-
Image
Jorge Correa 's playing career didn't go very far, cut short by injury after three seasons. His post-playing career has gone far enough that he heads his own baseball instruction academy , with an Instagram following of more than 90,000. Correa's playing career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the ninth round of the draft out of Miami Senior High School . At Miami High, Correa earned honorable mention all-county in 1988. He pitched a no-hitter in an April 1990 game as he struck out 11. He started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . The pitcher saw nine games, eight starts. He went 1-3, with a 6.13 ERA. He then returned to the GCL for 14 outings, 11 starts in 1991. He went 5-3, with a 3.48 ERA that year. Correa then made it to short-season Auburn for 1992, but his season proved brief. In six relief outings, 5.2 innings, he gave up 13 earned runs. He picked up a win in relief in a June game. But an injury helped end his career. That season marked his ...
Read more

Doug Kemp's pro career proved brief, three appearances

-
Image
Doug Kemp 's pro career proved brief. He's recorded as playing in just three games. But he may have gone on to continue in the game, as a minor league stadium general manager. A Doug Kemp, credited as attending the same school the player Kemp is credited as turning general manager at the home field of the Clearwater Threshers.  The player Doug Kemp's career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Astros as a free agent out of the University of Houston. The pitcher saw three games for the rookie Gulf Coast League Astros. In 3.2 innings, he gave up three walks and one earned run. Those numbers marked the extent of his pro career . Kemp may have gone on to settle in Clearwater, though a direct connection could not be located - as in a reference that the Clearwater Kemp played baseball or played with the Astros. But the two Kemps are both listed as from the University of Houston. And the baseball Kemp is also listed with ties to Florida, as in born in Fort Pierce . (Though th...
Read more

A to Z: 1990 Minor League Players, Baseball Profiles

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here alphabetically.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1, 2024 List of 1990 minor league players featured, in alphabetical order: Total: 4,457 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A  -  Bill Abare  got big hit at Dunedin, saw three pro seasons , 10/31/13  -  Glenn Abbott  saw bigs over decade, later turned coach , 7/27/14  -  Kurt Abbott 's first ML hit went for homer, saw 9 seasons , 3/22/15  -  Kyle Abbott  saw time in four major league seasons, Japan , 10/4/17  -  Paul Abbott  returned from injuries, made 11 ML seasons , 5/23/11...
Read more