Getting to Know Cubs Draft Pick: Cam Smith |
With the 14th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs select Cam Smith from Florida State Univiersity. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise for those close to this selection, as Smith was linked to the Cubs during the early process of the Mock Draft period.
With a massive hole at the hot corner, the Cubs are still piecing together their future direction. Smith could be that option, as he fills many of the Cubs' needs at third base. Regarded as the 21st-best prospect, the 6-4 224-pound Smith is well-built and has an MLB-ready body right now, which will only get stronger the more he fills out. A top prospect in the 2022 MLB draft, Smith chose to honor his commitment to play with Florida State, where he instantly became a massive part of the Seminoles' offense. Two years later, he entered the draft and will now be calling the North Side home after being the Cubs first-round selection this season. While he hit a dozen homers as a Seminoles freshman, he struggled at times to catch up to the higher level of competition. That all changed once he reached the Cape Cod League Smith took home player of the year honors that summer, posting a .981 OPS. Since then, he has only continued to up his game to the point where he could be one of the more underrated and undervalued prospects in this entire class. Then came the closing few months of the 2024 NCAA season, where Smith was not one of the more consistent hitters in the Florida State lineup but made one of the best 1,2 punches in the country with James Tibbs, who was also linked to the Cubs at No. 14. Smith already has an MLB-caliber body, but the real question is how much can he hit? The more he hits, the more likely it will be that he taps into that raw power, as he started to show that last summer in the Cape Cod League. He struggled with that during his freshman season at SU, as he tended to chase pitches out of the zone, which led to poor at-bats. Over the past two seasons, Smith has worked incredibly hard to stop chasing pitches out of the zone, and it has worked well especially this season. Across his 46 games this season, Smith is hitting .38 with 10 homers and a career-high 39 RBIs. He has walked 26 times compared to 39 strikeouts as he continues to show the more mature plate discipline that scouts raved about the past two seasons. While the bat is a work in progress, and he should play well at the next level, there are other parts of his game that could help expedite the process, and defense is one of them. Given his quick feet and strong arm, Smith has what it takes to become a reliable 3B at the next level. Considering the state of the Cubs at 3B, Smith could put himself in the driver's seat if drafted by the Cubs, as they have no long-term options outside of Matt Shaw. Smith runs better than he did in high school, but still isn't much better than average regarding the speed. His ability to duplicate, and even surpass, what he did on the Cape during his sophomore campaign in Tallahassee has allowed him to be the kind of college performer rising up boards. That is something the Cubs have started to take notice of, as have other scouts, so a big finish is crucial for him should he want to make the rise people expect from him. Now that he is officially part of the Cubs organization, Chicago can start the process of determining where they feel he will be best suited for this organization. Whether that be at third long-term, moving to the OF, or somewhere in between, Smith will be given plenty of time to develop into the player he knows he can be. His bat is very good and has the potential to be elite, while his defense is always going to be a work in progress. Should he continue to improve his plate discipline and cut down on strikeouts, the sky is the limit for Smith, as he has the potential to be one of the better bats in this year's class.
