Cleveland Guardians' Cade Smith was one of MLB's best relievers in May.
The backbone of the Cleveland Guardians' success so far in the 2026 season remains their elite bullpen, which has kept the Guardians in games and, in some cases, won them outright.
The heart of Cleveland's bullpen is Cade Smith, who continues to show he's one of the top pitchers in all of MLB.
Smith recently received some well-deserved recognition for being dominant and was named American League Reliever of the Month for May.
In May, Smith posted a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 innings) in 13 appearances. He also logged a 0.73 WHIP and a .184 opponent batting average while striking out 25 batters. Cade’s strikeout rate of 50 percent and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 25 percent led all qualified pitchers during the month.
The most important stat for any closer, though, is how many saves they rack up and convert on. In Cade’s case, he was a perfect 13 saves in 13 opportunities in the mong.
Smith becomes the first player in Cleveland franchise history to record 13 consecutive saves in a calendar month. He’s also one of 14 pitchers in MLB history to log 13 saves in a calendar month, and the first since Kirby Yates back during the 2019 season.
May 20, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) delivers during the tenth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn ImagesCade earned this honor after an objectively uncharacteristic start to the season, for his standards. Early on in the year, manager Stephen Vogt noticed that Smith’s location seemed to be a bit off, causing him to give up some more hard-hit balls than what’s been typical of the 24-year-old throughout his career so far.
It is also important to remember that, technically, the 2026 campaign will be Cade’s first full season as Cleveland’s full-time closer. He came into this role in July of last year after Emmanuel Clase became unavailable for the Guardians.
Chris Antonetti talked about Cade’s demeanor over the weekend, stating, “He is about as even-keeled as almost any player we have.
“His preparation is unparalleled, the way he works in the off-season to condition and prepare for a season. The work that he puts in on a day-to-day basis prepares him to be successful, and that mindset of showing up each day, preparing for the opportunity he may have that night, and then going out there and executing.”
That composed mindset from Cade is one of the reasons he's been able to get back on track this year and be named the best reliever in the American League for May.
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