Guardians reliever Cade Smith was breakout star of ALDS

Third baseman Jose Ramirez and closer Emmanuel Clase receive most of the attention on the Cleveland Guardians. Rookie reliever Cade Smith is forcing fans to take notice.

Smith had a dominant showing in the ALDS against the Tigers. He allowed just one run on two hits and a walk over his 6.1 innings, striking out 12 batters. Zack Meisel of The Athletic noted on X that not only was Smith the first Cleveland pitcher to appear in all five games of the division series, but his 12 strikeouts were the most of any reliever in division series history.

Smith was not a highly regarded prospect. The Canadian right-hander was originally a 16th-round selection by the Twins in the 2017 MLB Draft, choosing to attend the University of Hawaii instead. Smith signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 MLB Draft, receiving a $20,000 bonus as he began his career.

The Guardians' pitching development team quickly made adjustments. While he was never on any top prospect lists, he quickly moved through the system. Smith had averaged 91 mph on his fastball when he signed; he averaged 96.4 mph in 2024. He scrapped his changeup, developing a splitter in addition to his fastball and slider. All of his pitches had a swing-and-miss rate of over 30% this season as Smith became one of the best relievers in the game.

His improved arsenal led to a dominant showing in the regular season. Smith quickly became a high-leverage option for the Guardians, posting a 1.91 ERA and a 0.903 WHiP in his 75.1 innings, striking out 103 batters with just 17 walks as he led all major league relievers with 2.7 fWAR. He also did an impressive job at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just one home run all season.

The playoffs have a way of pushing unlikely players to the forefront. Billy Hatcher, Gene Larkin and Howard Ehmke, amongst other unexpected players, became heroes for their postseason performances. The same could be true for Smith, especially if the Guardians snap their long championship drought.