Guardians Reliever Ranked As A Top Rookie From 2024 Season

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith was one of the best rookies in MLB last year.

Sep 2, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) pitches during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians overachieved in many areas during the 2024 season. The one spot where they were unmatched was their historically dominant bullpen.

Cleveland's reliever core finished with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, both of which were the best across MLB.

One reason for this historically dominant bullpen was the effort of rookie reliever Cade Smith. MLB Network even ranked him as their 10th-best rookie in baseball in 2024.

The top rookies of 2024 according to @MLBNetwork:

Nos. 10-6! pic.twitter.com/PU0swmkreF

— MLB (@MLB) January 5, 2025

Smith, 25, finished the season with a 1.91 ERA, .903 WHIP, 1.40 FIP, and a 213 ERA+.

He was also a key contributor to Cleveland's postseason run. In the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, Smith pitched 3.2 innings over four appearances, allowing only one run and striking out nine batters.

Smith's incredible playoff performance also set incredible MLB history.

When considering who ranked ahead of Smith in MLB Network's rookie rankings, one could argue that he deserved to be higher on the list.

Athletics' closer Mason Miller was rated as MLB's seventh-best rookie last year, and Smith had arguably better numbers. Miller had a 2.49 ERA, 2.18 FIP, and a 159 ERA+ during his rookie campaign

Jun 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) delivers a pitch in the the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Yes, Miller had the edge over Smith with 28 saves, but the only reason Cade never got an opportunity to close out games is that the Guardians have Emmanuel Clase, who had a historic realizer season himself.

Looking back at these statistics and what Smith accomplished during his rookie season, it's amazing to think about the fact that he almost didn't make the Opening Day roster coming out of spring training.

It's clear that Cade has a bright future with the Guardians moving forward and wasn't just one of the best rookies but one of the best relievers in all of baseball.