There are few better feelings currently for fans of the Cleveland Guardians than when Cade Smith trots out of the bullpen.
The big right-handed pitcher is Cleveland’s closer, and he’s as reliable as they come.
When Smith is coming into the game, it’s usually with a lead, and he usually protects it.
As far as closers in the modern game go, Smith is one of the very best, and right now he and the Guardians are on an October run into the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
But as is often the case with relief pitchers, the path isn’t necessarily straightforward.
Smith wasn’t ever drafted by the Guardians. He was actually drafted by the AL Central rival Minnesota Twins.
But the only team Smith ever signed with was Cleveland, as an undrafted free agent. Let’s make some sense of that.
Why Cade Smith Didn’t Sign With Twins After Draft
The Twins drafted Smith in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
He had just completed his high school career at Mennonite Educational Institute, which is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Smith was quite the find by the Twins playing his amateur ball in Canada, but he chose not to sign.
It’s not clear whether the offer wasn’t good enough or whether he simply wanted to go play college basketball — particularly because he was committed somewhere quite warm.
How Cade Smith Ended Up With Guardians
After choosing not to sign with the Twins, Smith attended college at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He continued to show his promise as a pitcher there, but his next draft-eligible year was 2020. The MLB Draft was shortened to five rounds that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith still opted to come out, though, and so he ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the then-Indians.
He wasn’t a traditional undrafted free agent. The shortened draft meant lots of talented players who would’ve been picked in a normal draft year were instead just free agents.
The partnership certainly worked out for Smith and Cleveland.
He made the Opening Day roster in 2024 to debut in the major leagues, and he earned the full-time closer role once Emmanuel Clase was mired in scandal.
The biggest reason the Guardians haven’t missed Clase is Smith, who is as reliable as they come.
It’s just ironic to look back and think that it was the Twins who actually wanted him first. Smith chose a different path, and it led him to October baseball in Cleveland.
Cade Smith Drafted by Twins but Signed Undrafted With Guardians — Here’s How