Cleveland Baseball Insider

Two Star Guardians Relievers Among MLB's Best In Latest Rankings

Cleveland's Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase both earned spots on MLB Network's "Top 10 Players Right Now" for relief pitchers.

Logan Potosky

Oct 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees in game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Oct 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees in game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Cleveland Guardians had arguably MLB's best bullpen during the 2024 season.

The unit led the Majors in: ERA, holds, fewest runs and earned runs allowed, WHIP, and opposing batting average, while ranking tied for second in: saves, fewest hits allowed, and fewest home runs allowed.

As a result, two of Cleveland's bullpen arms were recognized among MLB's best in MLB Network's "Top 10 Players Right Now" rankings for relief pitchers on Wednesday night.

Guardians reliever Cade Smith was ranked second, while Emmanuel Clase was ranked fourth.

As a rookie last year, Smith had a historic relief pitching season.

The right-hander became the first MLB reliever in the Modern Era (since 1901) to record: at least 28 holds, at least 103 strikeouts, and 17-or-fewer walks in a season. In 74 appearances, he also tallied: a 1.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and .190 opposing batting average in 75.1 innings.

A baseball player throwing a baseball while wearing a white jersey, white pants, and a navy and red hat.
Oct 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees in game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Smith then had a remarkable postseason for Cleveland. In nine appearances, the 25-year-old posted 16 strikeouts to just two walks, while recording a 0.70 WHIP and .152 opposing batting average in 10 innings. He ultimately finished fifth in the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Clase also had one of the best relief pitching seasons in MLB history in 2024, leading the American League with 47 saves.

Per Stathead, the right-hander became the first pitcher in MLB history with at least 47 saves, a 0.61 ERA-or-lower, and a 0.66 WHIP-or-lower in a season. In 74 appearances, he totaled 66 strikeouts to just 10 walks and a .154 opposing batting average in 74.1 innings.

The 26-year-old finished third in the 2024 AL Cy Young Award voting, becoming the first reliever to be named a Cy Young Award finalist in 16 years. He was also named the AL Reliever of the Year for a second time, while garnering All-MLB First Team honors for the second time as well.

With Smith's remarkable debut season and Clase's continued dominance last year, Guardians fans will look for this duo to have another strong campaign together in 2025.

Published
Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

Home/News