Steve Shields vs. Dave Smith — Career Comparison

The numbers give Dave Smith a clear advantage over Steve Shields across the core pitching metrics. Dave Smith led in home run suppression (HR9+ 198 vs 79), run prevention (ERA+ 123 vs 82), and skill-based run prevention (DICE+ 104 vs 90). Steve Shields held the edge in walk avoidance (BB%+ 102 vs 100). Dave Smith was the better reliever — the numbers make that case clearly.