Cade Smith

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #22 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High.
  
  Track Record: Smith spent his prep days at Mississippi’s DeSoto Central High, which also counts Braves third baseman Austin Riley as an alumnus. He then spent three years at Mississippi State—where he was teammates with fellow Yankees prospect Jackson Fristoe— and a summer in the Cape Cod League. In his freshman year, he helped Mississippi State win the College World Series. The Yankees selected Smith in the sixth round of the 2023 draft and signed him for $282,900. He was shut down after signing and spent most of his first full season as a pro at Low-A Tampa before a late-season promotion to High-A.
  
  Scouting Report: In high school, Smith’s bread and butter was his fastball/curveball combination. In college and as a pro, his slider has outpaced the curveball and has become his primary out pitch. His fastball could use more life but sits around 94 mph and touches a couple ticks hotter. The slider—by far his most-used secondary—sits in the mid 80s, produced a miss rate of 45.6% and projects as a plus offering. Smith’s curveball and changeup—thrown in the low and high 80s, respectively—each grade as fringe-average. His control is average, but only his fastball and slider were thrown for strikes at rates better than 60%.
  
  The Future: Smith has a full four-pitch complement and a physical frame. Those factors give him a chance at a rotation future, though he’ll need to improve either his curveball or changeup to make that a reality.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #26 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Smith pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team during high school and was drafted in the 16th round by the Twins in 2018 but opted to attend Hawaii instead of signing. After three years in college, Smith signed with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 draft was shortened to five rounds. He pitched well in three seasons as a professional and in November was added to the 40-man roster.
  
  Scouting Report: Smith has a big, powerful build and a fastball to match. He relies heavily on the pitch, which averages about 95 mph and gets a lot of swings and misses, both in and out of the zone. The pitch plays up further thanks to the excellent extension he gets in his delivery. His slider is his best secondary offering. It’s more of a fringy offering that doesn’t miss nearly as many bats, but it’s enough to keep batters honest. He also mixes in an occasional below-average changeup and pitches with average control.
  
  The Future: Smith spent much of 2023 at Triple-A and is now on the 40-man roster, which puts him firmly in contention for a spot in the Guardians’ bullpen sooner than later. He’ll need to continue refining his slider to become a high-leverage weapon in the big leagues, but he looks to be at least a solid relief option.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 65 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50