44°
Le Roy Purdy Smit, born in Mount Vernon turns 53 on Saturday.
Smith, a former professional baseball pitcher and executive was born Sept. 6, 1961.
He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball from 1984 until 1991. He is currently a scout for the New York Mets.
Smith was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. After three seasons in the Phillies' farm system, Smith and two other players, were traded to the Cleveland Indians late in the 1982 season for pitcher John Denny.
After another season and a half in the minors, he made his major league debut on June 23, 1984, against the Seattle Mariners, a game in which he also picked up his first major league win.
After spending his final season with the Buffalo Bisons in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, the Pirates made him a scout in 1994. He moved into the team's front office, serving as assistant general manager from 1999 until 2004, then moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There, he worked as vice president for scouting and player development for two seasons,before returning to the Pirates. He later worked as a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays and became a scout for the Mets in November 2010.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mount Vernon and receive free news updates.
