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Cade Smith's makeup gives Guardians confidence he can handle pressure in closer role
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- Cade Smith's makeup gives Guardians confidence he can handle pressure in closer role
CLEVELAND — A dead sheep's eyeball provided evidence of how Cade Smith is built different, and the Guardians are counting on his appetite for a challenge.
A right-handed relief pitcher, Smith has helped the Guardians go 11-5 since three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave July 28 through games on Aug. 31 while MLB conducts a sports betting investigation .
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The Guardians have won five consecutive series during the stretch, though they began a three-game matchup against the Atlanta Braves with a 2-0 loss Aug. 15 at Progressive Field.
With roughly six weeks left in the regular season and through Aug. 15, the Guardians (63-58) were 1½ games behind the New York Yankees (65-57) for the third and final American League wild-card playoff spot and 7½ games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers (72-52) in the AL Central division standings.
Smith leads the Guardians with three saves during Clase's leave, and Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt explained his faith in Smith's ability to thrive amid pressure-packed scenarios is connected to Smith aspiring to become an eye surgeon when he was younger. Vogt took it as an indication Smith's makeup is conducive to flourishing in tense situations.
"My dad got laser eye surgery when I was in about seventh grade, and that was also the same time that we were doing an optics unit in science," Smith, who hails from the Greater Vancouver area, told the Beacon Journal. "We got to dissect a sheep's eyeball, so there was a kind of real-life application, and there was a little bit of hands-on stuff. I was always interested in science going through school."
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Obviously, professional baseball became Smith's career path, but he studied biology at the University of Hawaii and contemplated pursuing a career in medicine. Whether Smith could still become an eye doctor after his baseball days is impossible to answer now, yet the door is not shut.
"It's still multiple years [of medical school away from being reality]," Smith, 26, said. "The other thing that's going to be really important is, 'What does my family need from me when baseball's over?' That's going to be the first priority."
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith celebrates during the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 1, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cade Smith stats
For now, Smith is focused on his job with the Guardians after he dominated while coming out of their bullpen as a rookie last season.
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Appearing in 55 games this year, Smith has record of 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, six saves, 19 holds and 74 strikeouts along with 41 hits and 18 walks surrendered in 54 innings. He did not pitch Aug. 15 when the Guardians were shut out by the Braves (54-68).
"He's been going into these ultra-high leverage positions for his whole career, so I have nothing but confidence whenever he takes the hill," Guardians first baseman and designated hitter Kyle Manzardo said. "I think his preparation and just his mentality is probably what carries him, but it's also really, really good stuff."
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On the same day MLB shut down Clase, Smith blew a save in an 8-6 loss to the league-worst Colorado Rockies (33-89). However, Smith rebounded by allowing three hits, one walk and no runs, striking out nine, going 3-0 and converting all three save opportunities in his last nine innings of work.
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"No matter the situation, nothing's too big for him, and he's just embraced pitching later in games," Vogt said. "Not being the fireman and kind of getting a more traditional back-end role, he's handled it unbelievably, and I'm excited to see what he's going to do in the future."
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 1, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cade Smith height
Listed as 6 feet, 5 inches and 230 pounds, Smith has brushed off talk of psychological obstacles associated with transitioning to a closer role. In Clase's absence, relievers Hunter Gaddis (two) and Nic Enright (one) have also picked up saves for the Guardians.
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"My mentality hasn't changed," Smith said. "When the phone rings and my name's called, I'm going to be ready to go out there and compete as best I can to try and help the team to win regardless of the context."
On the other hand, former longtime MLB catcher Vogt characterized pitching in the ninth inning as a high-wire act.
"I had it described to me this way by a coach I had," Vogt said. "He said, 'You take a 4-by-6 table. Anybody can walk across that table. But [if] you put the table up 3,000 feet in the air, who's going to walk across the table?'
"That's what pitching in the ninth is. That's where the pressure is. It's three outs, but it's the last three outs of the game."
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No batter wants to be the final out, and the Guardians see Smith as a capable foil for a determined opponent.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Why Cleveland Guardians trust Cade Smith in closer role
