Abbotsford (Dan Chalcraft) – For Cade Smith, the 27-year-old native of Abbotsford, B.C., it wasn’t about the first time all-star appearance where he strike-out nine-time all-star and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper in a scoreless one inning debut, nor the 41 saves which tied him for the MLB lead with the Tampa Bay Rays Bryan Baker that helped propel the Cleveland Guardians to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Tampa Bay Rays that defined his season; it was the 2026 American League (AL) Central winners resolve to have that character and show the resilience in the face of adversity to win when needed.
In early August 2026, the team suffered a stretch of five consecutive series losses and struggled to string together wins not winning back-to-back games for a notable stretch in July and into August, but for Smith it was the team’s desire to battle for each other.
“The clubhouse in Cleveland there is a really special place you’ve got a lot of really really good characters playing into the chemistry and the environment there so it’s a ton of fun and obviously it’s a really young solid core a lot of guys have been there in years past and made runs in the playoffs”, said the Cleveland Guardians closer in an exclusive interview. “Some guys that have dealt with adversity before as well from last year to having some pretty tough losing streaks and then coming back from a huge deficit to win the division and make the playoffs on the last game of the season.”
Having the right mindset to succeed
As the Cleveland Guardians closer it’s the first time for him in his first full season in this role which is a big step from his days when he played in the BC Premier Baseball League (BCPBL) with the Abbotsford Jr. Cardinals in 2015, Smith has got the nod as a finalist for the inaugural American League (AL) Reliever of the Year award. This is due to his dazzling performance on the mound where the hurler sported a 1.95 Earned Run Average (ERA), a 0.96 Walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) with a career high 107 strikeouts in 74 innings over 69 appearances relying on a four seamer that touches triple digits along with a
split finger pitch that compliments a sweeper he uses. Smith who spoke in an exclusive interview said, “this year [we have been] dealing with some highs and lows a lot of injuries but hanging in there though it and then really playing our best baseball down the stretch to make a deep run in October; shows a lot of that resilience of that group that we have so it’s a ton of fun to be a part of and it’s a honour to be go to ask to pitch and compete in some of the most meaningful situations near the end of the game and things like that so really it’s been a ton of fun.
He added that it’s a continuing learning experience saying, “has it been something to adjust to for sure practically speaking I tell people it’s just more time to figure out to prepare for the end of game versus the fifth, sixth or seventh inning so for me there was an adjustment period at the start of year what are the things that I need to do in my routine to make sure I’m ready to go in the eighth of ninth inning.”
Smith’s numbers in the 2026 postseason backed up that positive mindset and philosophy when it comes to approaching the game of baseball. The 27-year-old had a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts, two walks, two saves, four hits, three earned runs with a 0.53 WHIP in nine games. This type of dominance on the mound has led the Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to trust him more in key situations and demonstrated confidence in his ability to get the job done when it matters most as third year MLB player made a seamless transition and progression from a set-up man to a dominant and the primary closer.
Smith thrived in October baseball and found it to be a really enjoyable experience where he has progressed by leaps and bounds from his days where the now 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander played high school baseball at the Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Smith and the Guardians lost the ALCS to the World Series debutant Rays in a hard-fought series 4-2 ending the season with a 7-3 defeat in Game 6 at Tropicana Field on Oct. 19th, 2026 but it still didn’t damper his excitement at the opportunity to play in the postseason for the third consecutive season.
In a one-on-one interview, Smith said “I mean the postseason is so much fun. It’s really special that is really the best way to put it. Each year is an opportunity there aren’t a lot of guys who have the opportunity to play in the playoffs so there is an appreciation for it there and then the atmospheres are awesome, the stadiums are sold out, the fans are into it like it is a really special place.” He underscored the importance of the achievement saying, “it’s a really special place, special time of year and it’s a blessing to play in the post season so I
don’t take any of that for granted. Then at that point it’s just time to go out and compete and try to figure out how we as a unit can pull together and help the team win.”
Focusing on what is ahead
For Smith who has improved year by year at the Major League level with the Cleveland Guardians feels that the team has shown a lot of strength and courage at various points of the long 162-game season. In an exclusive interview, the 27-year-old said “I touched on the resilience of the group last year being down 15.5 games down to the Tigers in the division and then coming back to win it. There is similarities in it this year where we were down but we weren’t as far down but we were close but within striking distance so there was a sense of calm and confidence knowing we were knowing where we needed to be to make the push at the right time.”
He explained his point further in detail feeling that their was a sense of pride and unity in the locker room saying, “when that time did come around the guys showed up and stepped up and the guys did play our best baseball down the stretch and finished the job so it was kind of a calm confidence we were going to come in each day play our game and take care of business and then we will worry about tomorrow after that.”
Smith wants to continue building on what has brought him success at the major league level saying it is a continuous process of learning how to develop as a pitcher. He said in an exclusive interview, “hitters are trying to be familiar with you they are doing their advanced scouting they are trying to have an approach when they come up against you. So there is the same task for us to do where we have to go and do scouting reports to go and understand how guys might try to attack us and then have their approaches and then the next part is playing the game with your eyes and recognizing betting on the guy with the funky swing and what information the hitter is giving you and trying to be unexpected and stay one step ahead of them.”
The Cleveland Guardians closer continued in his approach to the game on the mound and said, “there is that back and forth of it and that’s one of the things that is special about baseball. So I would say this year is my continuing development as a pitcher, it’s continuing to learn how to play the game, and pitch and really understand these things and really react and develop and understand that as well.”
Looking to grow and develop
For Smith to take his game to the next level and the various components that he believes encompasses a complete pitcher are various subtleties which he wants to work on and will allow him to keep progressing at the major league level. The AL finalist for Reliever of the Year award believes that to continue to be put into the conversation as one of the elite pitchers in the league and says “there is the mentality aspect, physicality aspect, mechanical aspect, and then there is the arsenal aspect and there is probably more too you could say how do you execute, where do you miss and when you do miss and how to do you handle adversity, so there’s all types of things like.”
He continued to add to his point revealing, “there is definitely a laundry list of things I want to work on but there is things that I don’t want to share to everybody because I want to stay one step ahead of hitters just in case the hitters try to stay one step ahead of me.”
The 27-year-old just wants to get back on the diamond and play baseball. Speaking exclusively, Smith said, “it’s a lot of work over the offseason to get prepared and a lot of people don’t see the behind the scenes of that but there is a point where you are ready to play and see the work you’ve put in over the offseason pay off so I hope that we’ll be able to start on time.” In the conversation Smith referenced the potential work stoppage and hopes that a deal will be in place before the 2027/2028 MLB season begins Wednesday March 24th, 2027 earmarked for opening night.
