Cade Smith

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #438 prospect in 2023 draft
  School: Mississippi State Source: 4YR
  
  Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.3
  Smith impressed scouts out of high school with a loud fastball/curveball combination, but his size and scattered control helped him make it to campus at Mississippi State. Smith pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen in 2021, but had a standout sophomore season after switching to a full-time starting role. He hasn’t fully replicated that season in 2023, and missed about a month with injury early in the season. Overall he posted a 5.23 ERA in 43 innings with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 14.4% walk rate. Smith has loud pure stuff, with a 92-95 mph fastball that has been up to 97 that has great carry and around 20 inches of induced vertical break. He also gets plenty of misses with a mid-80s slider that has hard, late biting action and consistently sneaks under barrels and elicits chases out of the zone. On top of an electric fastball/slider duo that headlines the arsenal, Smith has some feel to spin a power curve in the low 80s and has also mixed in a tumbling, mid-80s changeup. He’s struggled to consistently command the ball dating back to his prep days, and without any huge improvements in that area, carries significant reliever risk.
• Ranked #456 prospect in 2020 draft
  A 6-foot-2, 170-pound righthander committed to Mississippi State, Smith has shown exciting future potential with his fastball and curveball combo. Over the summer he pitched in the 89-91 mph range and showed terrific shape and bite with a 77-80 mph curveball. More recently scouts saw his heater up in the 93-94 mph range. Because of his current size, most scouts were more inclined to let him get to campus where he could add more strength, fill out and improve his control, which was below average at times over the summer. He has a long arm stroke with hooking action in the back and a wrist wrap that could hinder the consistency of his strikes. Smith has also shown a firm, mid-80s changeup, though it’s clearly a third pitch at the moment. Smith attends the same high school as Blaze Jordan, who is also committed to Mississippi State.