The Chicago Cubs drafting in the middle of the first round illustrates the state of their franchise. Their major-league club isn’t that bad, but it’s not very good, either. It’s unclear whether the front office will buy or sell at the July 30 trade deadline. A wild card is still an attainable goal, though there has been no sense of going all out to try to win the World Series this year.
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The Cubs also went into the All-Star break after perhaps their most impressive week of the season. There are resources available to upgrade the roster and layers of young talent in the organization. The team’s successful first-round track record of selecting college hitters from major programs and the Cape Cod League can’t be dismissed.
That’s where the Cubs landed with the No. 14 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, selecting third baseman Cam Smith out of Florida State. Smith watched Sunday night’s broadcast from his family’s home in South Florida, realizing a dream come true. As a young boy, his grandparents had taken him on a tour of Wrigley Field.
“To hear my name called, I broke down in tears immediately,” Smith said. “It all hit me at once.”
Smith is a 6-foot-3, 224-pound, right-handed hitter whose production significantly increased from his freshman to sophomore seasons with the Seminoles. In between, he received the Cape Cod League’s award for outstanding pro prospect.
Smith, 21, spent two seasons in college after graduating from Palm Beach Central High in Florida. His year-over-year growth helps explain why the Cubs moved him up their draft board. His OPS jumped from .843 to 1.142. His batting average rose 129 points to .387. He increased his power (16 home runs in 66 games) and cut down his strikeouts, helping lead Florida State back to the College World Series.
Smith attributed the improvements to meditation.
“The biggest thing for me was finding ways to slow this game down,” Smith said. “I took pride in meditation. It got to a point where it was a hobby, doing it before and after the games, even during the game when I’m at third base or on the on-deck circle. Meditation is something that slowed my heartbeat down. That’s something huge that gets you a long way in this game.”
“My grandma got me into the sport of baseball, she’s a huge Cubs fan … I was more excited for her than myself.”
Cam Smith discusses his family ties to the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/fvY5wbDkhd
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 15, 2024
In referencing Smith’s “steep trend line of improvement,” Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz explained the adjustments that turned him into a “complete hitter.”
“Mechanically, he changed some components of his swing,” Kantrovitz said. “Specifically, kind of where he was holding his hands, which really changed his load and made him a little bit more direct to the ball. He spread out. You could tell he was a little bit more locked in and just had a better mental approach as a hitter. Probably a little bit less guessing and more reading and reacting and recognizing spin.
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“We view him as somebody that’s really still on the upswing. He had a good freshman year. But then he got to the Cape and started to demolish the ball there. And then he carried that same success into the ACC this past season. We still see room for improvement. It’s just on a pretty steady upward climb.”
The slot value of the No. 14 pick is a little more than $5 million. With their second-round selection, the Cubs chose Cole Mathis out of the College of Charleston, where he was a two-way player. The Cubs are projecting Mathis as a hitter who will have to find a defensive spot as a first baseman, third baseman or outfielder.
It will take years before anyone can fully evaluate these selections. The Cubs did not have any homegrown pitchers on their active roster for the 2016 World Series, which featured first-round picks Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr., plus international free agents Willson Contreras and Jorge Soler.
Kantrovitz, a longtime executive with the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A’s, joined the Cubs after the 2019 season to overhaul their process and oversee the draft, which has helped rebuild a farm system that has depth and balance, if not obvious star power.
Among first-round picks, Ed Howard (2020) hasn’t advanced beyond High-A South Bend yet. Jordan Wicks (2021) has contributed as a major-league starting pitcher, though a slow recovery from an oblique injury makes his timeline to return uncertain. Cade Horton (2022) is regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in the game, but he’s still in the early phases of his rehab from a shoulder injury. Matt Shaw (2023), who participated in Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game, appears to be on track for a promotion to Triple-A Iowa this summer.
Chicago Cub, Cole Mathis. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/kJgBnq1678
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 15, 2024
Between Shaw and Smith, the Cubs can worry later about who might be the third baseman of the future. Competition is always a good thing. Not all prospects stick at a preferred position, much less make it to Wrigley Field. Sooner or later, it would make sense to move some of this young, unproven talent and turn it into actual major-league players. Because no organization wants to be stuck in the middle.
“The goal is to get to the big leagues as quick as you can,” Smith said.
(Photo: Steven Branscombe / USA Today)
