Biography
Cade Jared Benjamin Smith (born May 9, 1999) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
Career
Smith attended Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at University of Hawaii at Manoa.
After going undrafted in the 2020 MLB draft, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith signed with the Cleveland Indians. He spent his first professional season in 2021, pitching for the Lynchburg Hillcats and Lake County Captains. In 2022, he played for Lake County and Akron RubberDucks. After the season, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League.
In 2023, Smith was selected to play for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The Guardians selected Smith's contract on November 14, 2023, adding him to their 40-man roster. On March 30, 2024, Smith made his MLB debut, striking out five Oakland Athletics batters in two innings pitched. His performance set a Cleveland record for the most strikeouts in a debut of two innings pitched or fewer. Smith finished his rookie season with a 1.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 75+1⁄3 innings.
Smith made his postseason debut on October 5, striking out all four Detroit Tigers he faced in a 7–0 Cleveland victory in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Smith fanned 12 of the 22 batters he faced in the ALDS, setting a major league record for strikeouts by a reliever in the Division Series.