[1] Smalley switched to the San Francisco Haverleys later that season and then to the Oakland Colonels in 1889 when a scout for the Cleveland Spiders spotted him, inviting Smalley and several of his teammates to make the trek east to Cleveland.

Still only eighteen when he made his big-league debut, Smalley proved to be a slick-fielding but weak-hitting third baseman, batting just .213 on the season.

Still, Smalley played all 136 of the team's games, as did outfielder (and future Hall-of-Famer) George Davis.

In late September, while living in Syracuse, Smalley took ill with stomach cancer; his uncle William brought Will to the older man's home in Bay City, Michigan.

[2] The young ballplayer declined rapidly and died on October 11, 1891, at the age of 20; his remains were buried in Oakland.