Guardians Reliever Deserves Rookie Of The Year Consideration

Cade Smith has been one of the Cleveland Guardians' best relievers and one of the top rookies in MLB.

May 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Rookie of the Year race is heating up as the final stretch of the season approaches. Plenty of incredible first-year players have appeared this season, and the Cleveland Guardians certainly have one of the best rookies in the game.

Cade Smith may not be a household name among baseball fans yet, and he may not even be the best reliever in his own bullpen (which is saying something on its own), but the 25-year-old is more than deserving of AL Rookie of the Year consideration.

Smith has pitched in 51 games (53.1 innings) heading into Monday night's matchup. He's posted a 1.86 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in those appearences and that's with Stephen Vogt often matching him up with their opponenets top hitters late in games.

Smith's advanced stats also show just how dominant he's been this year compared to the rest of the league. He currently ranks in the 82nd percentile in fastball velocity, his 36.6 percent K% ranks in the 99th percentile, and his BB% ranks in the 88th percentile.

Apr 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith (36) delivers a pitch in the the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The best pitch in Cade's arsenal is easily his four-seamer, which has a tremendous run value of 20, per Baseball Savant.

Another reliever who's getting serious recognition as Rookie of the Year is Oakland Athletic's Mason Miller.

However, when you compare the two pitchers, Smith has a better ERA, better ERA+, more strikeouts and has pitched in more games and innings, and the two are tied with a 1.7 WAR.

Sure, Miller may throw his fastball in the triple digits, which is always exciting. But Smith has arguably been the better all-around pitcher this year.

It's clear based on this rookie class and his stats stacked up agaist the rest of baseball that Cade Smith needs to be the minds of voters as they cast their ballots at the end of the season.