Why the Cubs Should Promote Cam Smith to South Bend Immediately

When the Cubs drafted Florida State third baseman Cam Smith with the 14th pick in last month’s draft, they hoped they had found the guy who will lock down the hot corner in their next championship-winning core. He was regarded highly by MLB Pipeline coming out of college, with 55-grade hit and fielding tools, 50-grade power, a 60-grade arm, and a 55 overall grade. So far, the return on investment has been great.

Smith, unlike 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw, was assigned to Myrtle Beach after a brief stint in Arizona. It already appears that he is too advanced for the Low-A level. He has been red-hot recently, homering in five straight games after going yard again Saturday. In the 14 games he’s played with the Pelicans, he is hitting .304/.385/.717. Along with the five homers, he’s hit two doubles and a triple; walked six times; and only struck out 11 times across 52 plate appearances. He continues to tear up the Carolina League.

While it’s important to not rush player development, with just a few weeks left in the minor-league season, it would be beneficial to get Smith some experience playing in a higher level of competition. Back when the Draft took place in June, the runway was longer for draftees--especially once the signing deadline moved to mid-July. Moving the Draft to the All-Star break has given everyone less time to go through intake and join the organization, and when the league contracted some minor-league teams to reduce the number of short-season clubs and cap the number of players in the farm system at any time, they added pressure for prospects to move more quickly from signing as amateurs to reaching the major leagues.

Myrtle Beach’s playoff hopes are a long shot, and even though South Bend won’t make the playoffs either, it’s still an opportunity to get Smith some exposure to more advanced pitching by promoting him to High-A. Not only will it help him in the long run, but it will also help the organization decide whether to start him at South Bend again next year, or move him up to Tennessee as he continues his journey toward the big leagues. Those decisions have never been more important, and getting good information to support them is tough.

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