From Shreveport to Stardom: The Overlooked Legacy of Reggie Smith

Louisiana, as a whole, produces TONS of professional athletes - from Olympic athletes to basketball stars to football stars, and everything in between. Let's be honest, football usually gets the most attention around these parts due to its popularity, but we're no slouch in the world of baseball either.

One of the greatest players of all time is Mel Ott, who is from Gretna. Then you got names like Will Clark, Andy Pettitte, and Ron Guidry who are all from Louisiana. But, let's not leave North Louisiana off the list, we've produced some All-Stars and high quality players in our own right - Todd Walker, Albert Belle, Joe Adcock, Willard Brown, just to name a few.

But, when you think of great players in the world of baseball, there's one name that often gets forgotten and shouldn't - 7 time All-Star Reggie Smith.

The Shreveport Star Who Should Be a Household Name

Reggie Smith is a 7-time MLB All-Star, Gold Glove Winner, World Series Champion and was born right in Shreveport, Louisiana. And, arguably, he's one of the greatest baseball players from Louisiana. Yes, he moved away to California at a young age, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was born here and is a Shreveport native.

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According to The Baseball Scholar, who put together a list of the best baseball players born in Louisiana, Reggie is 2nd to Mel Ott. His career WAR is 3rd on the list only behind MLB Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Ted Lyons. Over his 17 year career, he batted .287 with 314 Home Runs, 1092 RBIs, 137 Stolen Bases and 1123 runs scored.

Those may not be "Hall of Fame" worthy, but he certainly deserves more recognition than he gets. Yes, he's in the Red Sox Hall of Fame - and deservedly so. But, outside of New England, he's very underappreciated for his accomplishments.

Contributions to the Game

Besides being one heck of a defensive outfielder with dynamite in his bat, Reggie has had quite the career since his retirement. He's been a coach, a minor league instructor, and runs a player development program.

His accomplishments there may even be greater than what he's done on the field. He served as the Hitting Coach for Team USA in 1999 & 2000, where the US won the Gold Medal in the Olympics. In 2006, he was the hitting coach for Team USA in the WBC. He also was the hitting coach in the 2008 Olympics for Team USA.

And while all that is pretty darn cool and quite the honor, his biggest accomplishments may be at the Baseball Academy he runs in Encino, California. There he works with young players and helps them develop their skills. One of the graduates of his academy is none other than 3 time All-Star, World Series Champion, 3 time Gold Glover Max Fried.

Beyond that, he's also involved in a ton of charities and community work. Great ball player and seems to be a pretty solid dude off the field.