Few expected the Cleveland Guardians to make it all the way to the ALCS last season, but they surpassed all expectations and won the AL Central in manager Stephen Vogt’s first year at the helm and made it just a few games away from the World Series.
One major reason for the team’s success in 2024 was its dominant bullpen, which included four pitchers who appeared in over 70 games and recorded an ERA below 2.00.
One of those men was Cade Smith, who posted a 1.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts in his 75.1 innings of work as a rookie, and he recently opened up about what his first year in the big leagues was like in an article written by Marc Bona of Cleveland.com.
“My wife and I talk about that a lot – not taking it for granted, enjoying what we have in front of us,” he said. “So getting into that postseason push and into the postseason itself, I consider myself so fortunate to be a part of that, especially in my first year.”
You couldn’t ask for more as a rookie reliever than Smith experienced in his first year, and it will be tough to improve upon the dominance he showed.
Smith will be heavily relied upon once again, given the fact that Sam Hentges is at risk of missing the entire season with a shoulder injury, while the only big addition to the unit has been veteran Paul Sewald, who struggled last season to the tune of a 4.31 ERA.
It’s great to hear how grateful Smith is for his rookie year.
Fans can’t wait to see what he does as a sophomore.
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