On paper, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Cade Smith was one of the best relievers in all of baseball last winter. His 2.7 fWAR led all bullpen arms in 2024, besting teammate and elite closer Emmanuel Clase (2.2), a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award.

After an impressive rookie campaign, the Abbotsford, B.C. product was honoured by Baseball Canada this past weekend with the Special Recognition Award at the annual banquet and fundraiser in Toronto.

“I am extremely honoured to earn this award from Baseball Canada,” said Smith, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “I have a ton of people to thank for helping me get to this point and I am just happy to be here with everyone celebrating on this special evening.”

Heading into the 2024 season, Smith wasn’t even guaranteed a spot in the Guardians bullpen but impressed the staff early in Spring training and made his way onto the Opening Day roster.

“The Guardians were extremely transparent with me from the get-go and I just had to keep my focus on what I can control on the mound,” said Smith. “Things shook out well when I was named to the team and my family was able to be in the stands for my debut.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the B.C. product amassed an impressive 1.91 ERA through 74 innings, collecting 103 strikeouts and 17 walks along the way to the tune of a 12.3 K/9 and a 2.0 BB/9 respectively. In his debut against the A’s, Smith struck out five batters across two innings, setting a Cleveland record for the most strikeouts in a debut while pitching two innings or fewer.

Smith did not allow an earned run until his ninth outing of the season and his ERA sat around the 2.00 mark from May 25th on. The right-hander allowed just one home run on the year and limited hitters to a 6.1 H/9 while boasting a 0.903 WHIP. He finished his campaign with a +29 pitching run value (98th percentile) and his fastball ranked in the 100th percentile with a +28 mark, boasting a 31.4% putaway mark while holding batters to a .174 average. When Smith wasn’t throwing the fastball, he was mixing in the split-finger and a sweeper pitch to keep hitters off balance.

The Canuck led also led all relievers in the Major Leagues in terms of FIP (1.40) and finished fifth with his 100+ strikeouts while also placing fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Smith also earned a spot on the MLB Pipeline’s All-Rookie team.

“I had a ton of fun,” said Smith. “My wife Elizabeth and I didn’t take anything for granted and took everything one day at a time, one game at a time. The clubhouse atmosphere was something special day in and day out, every day was enjoyable. That bullpen has a unique group of characters in it, where we are all having fun and joking around but cliqued together well. I learned a lot from the guys that were there and I soaked everything in each day at a time.”

Cleveland would finish first in the AL Central and face the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. The two sides battled back and forth and eventually landed in a do-or-die Game #5, with Cleveland coming out on top.

Smith appeared in each contest against Detroit, racking up 6 1/3 innings while allowing just two hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out 12 batters, setting a record for punchouts by a reliever across an entire Division Series. In that fifth and final game, the 6-foot-5 right-hander followed starter Matt Boyd in the third inning and went 1 2/3 innings, striking out three batters and getting pulled after allowing a double to Spencer Torkelson in the fourth. However, the runner would remain stranded when fellow Canuck Erik Sabrowski came in and shut the door.

The Guardians would be tasked with facing a tough Yankees squad in the ALCS, with the Bronx Bombers taking the series through five games to advance to the World Series. Smith found himself in four of those contests, allowing a home run and three earned runs while striking out four.

“Such a fun and special environment,” said Smith. “Taking the field in those games, understanding that there are guys in the dugout who have been around for a long time but haven’t experienced the playoffs or have only been there a handful of times, you really take in those moments and understand how special these games really are. Every game is sold out, every fan is tuned in on every pitch and it was an experience that I hope to go through again in the near future and for a long time.”

While Cleveland fell short of their World Series goals, Smith found himself part of another record in October. The Guardians entered the postseason with four Canadians on their roster, Smith, LHP Sabrowski, C Bo Naylor, and 1B Josh Naylor, setting a record for the most amount of Canucks on a postseason roster. It was a tight-knit group of players who shared a special bond of growing up and playing North of the border early in their playing days and the four players leaned on each down the stretch.

“The value I got from the guys who were there was incredible and I wanted to return that to those who were coming up during the season,” said Smith. “I think it’s great to see our team enter the record books on the Canadian side and it’s not slowing down, there are more and more Canadians entering the league from coast to coast and the game is growing and developing in a really positive way up North. I think I play a very small part in that in the grand scheme of things but I reflect on these moments and accolades a lot and I am incredibly grateful for where things have taken me.”

Looking ahead to next season, Smith is going into next Spring with the mentality that he still needs to earn a spot in the Guardians bullpen, even after the year he had. The life of a reliever can be volatile at times but Smith trusts himself and his work ethic to get the job done.

“There are all sorts of little things I am working this winter on but overall, I want to take things one day at a time and focus on what I can control and just trust that God is going to open and close doors as he sees fit,” said Smith. “If the door that he opens is for me to be in the big leagues with the team, I will honour him with my effort and attitude with how I work and compete. If it’s not, I trust the way I do things and how I work but I won’t let the things I cannot control impact me mentally.”