Cade Smith

Active

Cleveland Guardians · RP

Age 276' 5" · 230 lbsThrows Right

#24 Current#44 Preseason#105 Dynasty

FBaseball Overview

Smith enters 2026 as Cleveland's established closer, building on a stellar 2025 campaign where he posted a 2.93 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 16 saves across 73.2 innings. His 26 saves through the season's opening stretch demonstrates the Guardians' continued trust in him as their primary back-end arm, offering managers elite saves production in what appears to be a secure role. The right-hander maintains elite strikeout rates and has consistently kept his ERA and WHIP in excellent territory, though some regression in his K-rate this season warrants monitoring. For fantasy purposes, Smith represents a top-tier closer with reliable counting stats in wins, saves, and strikeouts, making him a cornerstone piece for any pitching staff seeking stability in the closer position.

News Updates

Cade Smith Records Postseason Save in Game 3 ALCS
Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith picked up the save in Game 3 of the ALCS against Tampa Bay, striking out two batters while pitching a perfect 1.1 innings. Smith's clutch postseason performance demonstrates his reliability in high-leverage situations for the Guardians. His save opportunities indicate growing trust from the Cleveland coaching staff.
Oct 18, 2026
Cade Smith picks up save in ALCS Game 3
Relief pitcher Cade Smith recorded the save in Game 3 of the ALCS for the Guardians on Thursday, throwing 1.1 perfect innings with two strikeouts. Smith's clutch relief performance closed out Cleveland's 2-1 series lead against Tampa Bay.
Oct 17, 2026
Cade Smith records save with perfect 1.1 innings in ALCS Game 3
Cleveland reliever Cade Smith secured the save in Game 3 of the ALCS, striking out two batters across 1.1 perfect innings against Tampa Bay. Smith's calm and efficient pitching highlighted the Guardians' strong bullpen performance during their postseason run. His latest round of dominance contributed to Cleveland's 3-2 victory.
Oct 16, 2026

MLB Pitching

Year	Team	G	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	K	IP	BB
2024	Cleveland Guardians	74	6	1	1	1.91	0.90	103	75.1	17
2025	Cleveland Guardians	76	8	5	16	2.93	1.00	104	73.2	19
2026	Cleveland Guardians	69	6	1	41	1.95	0.96	107	74.0	23
Career	Totals	219	20	7	58	2.26	0.96	314	223	59

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Minor League Pitching

Year	Team	G	W	L	SV	ERA	WHIP	K	IP	BB
2021	2 teams▼	33	2	3	5	3.98	1.09	68	43	22
2022	2 teams▼	44	4	2	13	2.93	1.19	99	61.1	35
2023	2 teams▼	47	5	3	15	4.02	1.31	95	62.2	28
Career	Totals	124	11	8	33	3.61	1.21	262	167	85

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Last Week / Last Month

Current season · MLB only

7 games

G	GS	IP	W-L	SV	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
7	0	8.0	1-0	5	0.00	0.25	12	1

30 games

G	GS	IP	W-L	SV	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
30	0	32.2	4-0	15	0.83	0.73	48	12

Game Log2026 MLB

Loading game log…

Advanced Stats2026 season · via Baseball Savant

Click for year to year changes

FB Velo97.5 mph

Avg Spin1898 rpm

Whiff %34.5%

K %36.3%

BB %7.8%

Hard Hit %42.2%

Barrel %8.7%

xERA2.83

xBA Against0.189

xSLG Against0.315

BA Against0.183

SLG Against0.278

What These Stats Mean

FB Velo — Average fastball velocity. Harder throwers generate more swings and misses, setting up every other pitch in their arsenal. Velocity is the foundation of strikeout upside.

Avg Spin — Average spin rate across all pitches. Higher spin creates more movement and makes pitches harder to square up — elite spinners run better strikeout and batting average against numbers.

Whiff % — Swings-and-misses per swing. The most direct measure of a pitcher's ability to miss bats and the best leading indicator of strikeout rate.

K % — Strikeout rate per batter faced. The core fantasy pitching stat — high K% means reliable strikeout totals that hold up even in shorter starts.

BB % — Walk rate per batter faced. The primary control metric. High BB% tanks ERA and WHIP and keeps baserunners on constantly. Elite starters typically run below 7%.

Hard Hit % — Percentage of batted balls hit 95 mph or harder against. Low hard-hit% means weak contact, protecting both ERA and the defense behind the pitcher.

Barrel % — Percentage of batted balls barreled against. The most direct home run predictor — low barrel% pitchers rarely give up long balls.

xERA — Expected ERA based on contact quality allowed, removing the effect of sequencing, luck, and defense. Better predictor of future ERA than ERA itself.

xBA Against — Expected batting average opponents should hit based on contact quality. A gap between xBA and actual BA indicates unsustainable luck in either direction.

xSLG Against — Expected slugging allowed based on contact quality. High xSLG against predicts future extra-base damage; low xSLG means the pitcher is genuinely suppressing power.

BA Against — Actual batting average opponents are hitting — a key WHIP component. Check xBA to see if the number is sustainable.

SLG Against — Actual slugging allowed. Captures hits, doubles, triples, and home runs — lower means the pitcher is limiting the power damage he gives up.

GB% — Ground ball rate. High GB% pitchers generate double plays, limit home runs, and keep the ball in the park — great for protecting ERA and WHIP ratios.

FB% — Fly ball rate. High FB% pitchers give up more air contact — dangerous when combined with high exit velocity, less so when contact is soft.

Loading player data...

Year

Team

ERA

WHIP

2024

Cleveland Guardians

1.91

0.90

103

75.1

2025

Cleveland Guardians

2.93

1.00

104

73.2

2026

Cleveland Guardians

1.95

0.96

107

74.0

Career

Totals

219

2.26

0.96

314

223

Year

Team

ERA

WHIP

2021

2 teams▼

3.98

1.09

2022

2 teams▼

2.93

1.19

61.1

2023

2 teams▼

4.02

1.31

62.2

Career

Totals

124

3.61

1.21

262

167

W-L

ERA

WHIP

8.0

1-0

0.00

0.25

W-L

ERA

WHIP

32.2

4-0

0.83

0.73