John Smoltz
Smoltz pulled off one of baseball's most audacious reinventions, transforming from a Hall of Fame starter into an elite closer and back again. His 2003 season stands as one of the greatest relief campaigns ever — that 1.12 ERA translated to an otherworldly 392 ERA+, meaning he was nearly four times better than the average pitcher that year.
The numbers tell the story of sustained excellence across two decades: 213 wins, over 3,000 strikeouts, and a 141 career ERA+ that places him among the game's premier pitchers. What made Smoltz special wasn't just the raw talent but his willingness to sacrifice personal glory for team needs, moving to the bullpen during Atlanta's championship window.
His Silver Slugger award as a pitcher hints at another dimension — Smoltz was a legitimate two-way threat who took hitting seriously when most pitchers treated it as an afterthought.
Career · Hitting
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | ATL | 12 | 17 | 0 | 0 | .118 | .343 | 49 |
| 1989 | ATL | 33 | 62 | 1 | 6 | .113 | .401 | 58 |
| 1990 | ATL | 38 | 74 | 0 | 4 | .162 | .414 | 58 |
| 1991 | ATL | 38 | 65 | 0 | 3 | .108 | .325 | 46 |
| 1992 | ATL | 36 | 75 | 1 | 4 | .160 | .422 | 60 |
| 1993 | ATL | 35 | 71 | 0 | 4 | .183 | .472 | 64 |
| 1994 | ATL | 21 | 37 | 1 | 1 | .162 | .514 | 67 |
| 1995 | ATL | 29 | 56 | 0 | 1 | .107 | .313 | 41 |
| 1996 | ATL | 35 | 78 | 1 | 12 | .218 | .548 | 71 |
| 1997 | ATL | 36 | 79 | 0 | 4 | .228 | .573 | 76 |
| 1998 | ATL | 26 | 51 | 0 | 5 | .196 | .532 | 70 |
| 1999 | ATL | 29 | 62 | 1 | 7 | .274 | .725 | 93 |
| 2001 | ATL | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .125 | 16 |
| 2002 | ATL | 75 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2003 | ATL | 62 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2004 | ATL | 73 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2005 | ATL | 33 | 68 | 0 | 3 | .147 | .389 | 52 |
| 2006 | ATL | 35 | 64 | 0 | 4 | .125 | .348 | 45 |
| 2007 | ATL | 32 | 54 | 0 | 2 | .093 | .220 | 29 |
| 2008 | ATL | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2009 | STL | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | .067 | .192 | 26 |
| Career | 735 | 948 | 5 | 61 | .159 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | ATL | 12 | 64.0 | 2 | 7 | 5.48 | 68 | 37 | 1.672 |
| 1989 | ATL | 29 | 208.0 | 12 | 11 | 2.94 | 126 | 168 | 1.115 |
| 1990 | ATL | 34 | 231.3 | 14 | 11 | 3.85 | 100 | 170 | 1.280 |
| 1991 | ATL | 36 | 229.7 | 14 | 13 | 3.80 | 103 | 148 | 1.232 |
| 1992 | ATL | 35 | 246.7 | 15 | 12 | 2.85 | 131 | 215 | 1.159 |
| 1993 | ATL | 35 | 243.7 | 15 | 11 | 3.62 | 115 | 208 | 1.264 |
| 1994 | ATL | 21 | 134.7 | 6 | 10 | 4.14 | 109 | 113 | 1.248 |
| 1995 | ATL | 29 | 192.7 | 12 | 7 | 3.18 | 140 | 193 | 1.235 |
| 1996 | ATL | 35 | 253.7 | 24 | 8 | 2.94 | 156 | 276 | 1.001 |
| 1997 | ATL | 35 | 256.0 | 15 | 12 | 3.02 | 145 | 241 | 1.160 |
| 1998 | ATL | 26 | 167.7 | 17 | 3 | 2.90 | 152 | 173 | 1.127 |
| 1999 | ATL | 29 | 186.3 | 11 | 8 | 3.19 | 147 | 156 | 1.116 |
| 2001 | ATL | 36 | 59.0 | 3 | 3 | 3.36 | 131 | 57 | 1.068 |
| 2002 | ATL | 75 | 80.3 | 3 | 2 | 3.25 | 131 | 85 | 1.033 |
| 2003 | ATL | 62 | 64.3 | 0 | 2 | 1.12 | 392 | 73 | 0.870 |
| 2004 | ATL | 73 | 81.7 | 0 | 1 | 2.76 | 162 | 85 | 1.078 |
| 2005 | ATL | 33 | 229.7 | 14 | 7 | 3.06 | 140 | 169 | 1.145 |
| 2006 | ATL | 35 | 232.0 | 16 | 9 | 3.49 | 130 | 211 | 1.190 |
| 2007 | ATL | 32 | 205.7 | 14 | 8 | 3.11 | 143 | 197 | 1.182 |
| 2008 | ATL | 6 | 28.0 | 3 | 2 | 2.57 | 168 | 36 | 1.179 |
| 2009 | BOS | 15 | 78.0 | 3 | 8 | 6.35 | 68 | 73 | 1.449 |
| Career | 723 | 3473.2 | 213 | 155 | — | — | 3084 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.