May 17, 1985 The St Louis Cardinals shipped fleet-footed outfielder Lonnie Smith to the Kansas City Royals yesterday for minor league outfielder John Morris
Smith, 29. who has a 298 average in five full major league seasons, was edged out of the St. Louis outfield by rookie Vince Coleman. who is leading the major leagues in stolen bases.
Morris, 24 in his fourth season in the minor leagues at Omaha where he is batting .258 this spring. was assigned to the Cardinals* Triple-A team at Louisville His best year was in 1983 at Jacksonville, a Double-A team, where he was the Southern League’s MVP hitting 23 home runs and 91 RBIs
“Since the end of last season and through spring training, we have been interested in acquiring a veteran established hitter to provide another solid bat in our lineup.” Royals General Manager John Schuerholz said of the trade that brings Smith to the Royals
“Lonnie Smith has been a key player for the Cardinals and is a player who we think can increase our offensive productivity,“ he said The Royals entered the week with the worst team batting average in the American League. 228
Smith has batted over .300 to three of his five full seasons – 339 in 1980. 324 in 1981 and 307 in 1982 He missed about a month of the 1983 season when he entered a drug rehabilitation program
Smith, who was to report to the club in Milwaukee today, has averaged 43 stolen bases per season and was selected for the 1982 National League All-Star team He was signed originally by the Phillies in 1974 and went to the Cardinals in a three-way deal with Cleveland in November 1981 Royals Manager Dick Howser said yesterday that he looks at Smith as an everyday player — “in left field or as a designated hitter. The key things are his bat and his speed and that we think he can give us a boost offensively “
Smith who helped the Phillies in 1980, St Louis in 1982 will complete a trifecta by helping the Royals win the World Series by hitting .333 in the World Series
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