Rufus Smith

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Given name: Rufus Frazier Smith
Nicknames: Shirt
Primary Pos: Pitcher
Hght/Wght: 5'8" / 165 lbs
Bats/Throws: R / L
Born: Jan 24, 1905 in Guilford College, NC
Died: Aug 21, 1984 in Aiken, SC (79 years old)
Debut: Oct 2, 1927

Rufus Frazier "Shirt" Smith (January 24, 1905 – August 21, 1984) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in one game for the Detroit Tigers on October 2, 1927.

Smith played college baseball at Guilford College where he formed a battery with catcher Rick Ferrell. While pitching at Guilford, he caught the attention of a New England millionaire who signed Smith to one of his semi-pro teams in Massachusetts. At the end of the summer, he enrolled at Brown University. While pitching for a team in East Douglas, Massachusetts in 1927, he caught the attention of a Tigers scout, signed a contract and received a signing bonus of $5,000 (equivalent to $90,500 in 2024).