Next week, on Wednesday, November 11, the world will know who won the first AL Reliever of the Year Award in MLB. The Cleveland Guardians have a representative among the three finalists: it’s none other than right-hander Cade Smith.
Smith tied for the American League lead in saves with a fellow finalist, Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker, with 41. Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays, who posted a 1.27 ERA and 3.1 fWAR, is the other candidate to win.
Smith was brilliant once again this year, striking out 107 batters and posting a 1.95 ERA and a 2.18 FIP with 2.6 fWAR. He was the leader of one of the best bullpens in baseball.
Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes explained why Smith deserves the award: he was a beast in September, when the division was on the line.
“You look at Cade, he was a reliever of the month twice, had a great September. Didn’t allow an earned run in 13 innings,” Hoynes said. “If I had a vote on this, I think he’d be my pick. You know, 107 strikeouts compared to 63 by Baker. Not taking anything away from Baker.”
Baker was phenomenal all year, posting a 1.44 ERA and helping the Rays advance to the late stages of the postseason. However, he was no match for Smith when examining all stats, not just the ERA. For example, Smith’s 2.18 FIP was much better than Baker’s 3.07, and his 2.6 fWAR doubled the Rays hurler’s, who finished with 1.3.
To be fair, Smith’s greatest foe for the award should be Varland. The Toronto Blue Jays star finished with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.83 FIP, both better than the Guardians’ relief ace. However, the latter was more dominant and had ten more strikeouts than Varland’s 97.
Surpassing 100 strikeouts, the September dominance, and the monthly reliever accolades should give Smith a slight edge over Varland, who was phenomenal and would be a worthy winner as well. It will be an exciting race for a cool award.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee has already won the Gold Glove Award, and his rotation mate Parker Messick is nominated for the AL Rookie of the Year and AL Cy Young Awards.
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