Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher and Abbotsford product Cade Smith made a big impression in his rookie season and even the video game world has acknowledged his emergence.
MLB: The Show 25, set for release on March 18, has been rolling out some updated player ratings and Smith has seen a big jump from his grading in the 2024 version of the game.
Smith has been ranked as an 88 in this year's edition of the game, way up from the 52 rating he received in 2024.
Let's check in with @NickSwisher and discuss the @CleGuardians Top 5 in #MLBTheShow 25's Ratings Reveal Special! pic.twitter.com/kaU4gYO5BJ
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) March 5, 2025
He's the third-highest ranked player on the Guardians team and tied for the second-highest ranked relief pitcher in the game.
Smith finished the 2024 season with a 6-1 record, an earned run average of 1.91 and 103 strikeouts in 75.1 innings pitched. He placed fifth in voting for the American League rookie of the year and ninth in the A.L. Cy Young voting.
Cade Smith enjoyed a wonderful rookie season in the dominant @CleGuardians bullpen.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 9, 2025
The AL Rookie of the Year finalist lands as The Shredder's #2 relief pitcher on the #Top10RightNow. pic.twitter.com/shG57npz6M
He's an MEI grad and former member of the Abbotsford Cardinals and was initially drafted by the Minnesota Twins in round 16 of the 2017 draft. Smith opted not to sign with the Twins and played college baseball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He went on to sign with Cleveland in 2020 and made his way through the team's minor league system before joining the Guardians last year.
Smith also suited up for Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He went on to set a MLB record for strikeouts by a reliever in a divisional series last fall by fanning 12 Detroit Tigers batters. The Guardians advanced to the American League Championship Series, but were eliminated by the New York Yankees in five games.
The Guardians open the season on the road against the Kansas City Royals on March 27 and host the Chicago White Sox in the team's home opener on April 8.
MLB: The Show has been the sole MLB simulation video game on the market since 2014. The brand initially launched on the Playstation 2 in 2006. MLB: The Show 25 will be released on Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X and Series S.
