The Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen is largely regarded as the best and most consistent in the league.
However, when it comes to who the finest reliever in baseball is, closer Emmanuel Clase is generally the only Guardians player mentioned.
Evidence shows, however, that Cade Smith should be cited more frequently in these discussions.
MLB expert Dan Plesac has included Smith, the MLB’s leader in bullpen pitching fWAR as a rookie last year, in his top three list.
Plesac and fellow MLB Network commentator Brian Kenny were discussing the top five relievers in the game.
The latter chose Mason Miller, Clase, Devin Williams, Tyler Holton, and Tanner Scott as his top five players.
Plesac, a three-time All-Star during his playing career in the late 1980s, had a different list of names in mind.
Clase led his top five, followed by Miller in second and Smith in third.
Ryan Helsley and Williams finished out the group.
Smith deserves greater attention, and Plesac’s selection of him as the third-best reliever in baseball speaks much about his talent and accomplishments in just one season in the Major Leagues.
It was, as you might expect, a really good season.
Smith was incredibly dominant, with a 1.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts, and his consistency provided manager Stephen Vogt with plenty of options for dealing with the toughest outs of each game.