 Smith was still plying his trade on the mound when he was traded to the Angels for Julio Navarro on April 28, 1964.He had compiled a 1–4 record with an earned run average of 2.84 with the Angels in 33⅔ innings pitched when Halo manager Bill Rigney shifted Smith to the outfield to get his bat in the lineup on a daily basis.Smith responded by hitting .301 that season (his career-best batting average) with 11 home runs and 51 RBI.