George Cornelius Smith (July 7, 1937 – June 15, 1987) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1963 through 1966 for the Detroit Tigers (1963–1965) and Boston Red Sox (1966). Listed at , 170 lb., Smith batted and threw right-handed. A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, he attended Michigan State University.

In a four-season career, Smith was a .205 hitter (130-for-634) with nine home runs and 57 RBI in 217 games, including 64 runs, 27 doubles, six triples and nine stolen bases.

George Smith (second baseman)

Smith played in the Negro leagues for the Indianapolis Clowns (1952) and the Chicago American Giants (1956–1957). In between, he had a brief trial with the unaffiliated St. Petersburg Saints of the Class D Florida State League in 1955. Then, in 1958, he signed with the Tigers' organization as a free agent. Smith was the Red Sox' semi-regular second baseman in , starting 101 games at the position, but he batted only .213. He also played winter ball with the Navegantes del Magallanes club of the Venezuelan League in the 1966–67 season.

George Smith (second baseman)

In , Smith was hobbled by injuries and was replaced as Boston's second baseman by rookie Mike Andrews. He was sent to the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A Phoenix club and finished his career in the minors in 1968.

George Smith (second baseman)

Smith died in 1987 in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida from cancer, at the age of 49.

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1937 births

1987 deaths

African-American baseball players

Baseball players from St. Petersburg, Florida

Boston Red Sox players

Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players

Chicago American Giants players

Deaths from cancer in Florida

Denver Bears players

Detroit Tigers players

Duluth-Superior Dukes players

Durham Bulls players

Indianapolis Clowns players

Knoxville Smokies players

Major League Baseball second basemen

Michigan State Spartans baseball players

Michigan State University alumni

Navegantes del Magallanes players

American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela

Oklahoma City 89ers players

Phoenix Giants players

St. Petersburg Saints players

Syracuse Chiefs players

20th-century African-American sportspeople