Scottsdale — The Arizona Fall League has a well-earned reputation. Pitchers dread it. Hitters love it.
Balls fly out of desert ballparks like they have somewhere else to be. Team ERAs routinely climb past 6.00. The league exists as a hitter’s paradise, a launching pad where pitching prospects go to pad their numbers and pray for survival.
So when a 23-year-old right-hander from the New York Yankees farm system retired 21 consecutive batters before allowing his first hit, everyone noticed.
Cade Smith did something unusual in Arizona this fall. The Yankees pitching prospect made hitters look foolish in a league designed to make them look good.
Numbers that defy the desert
Smith finished his AFL stint with a 2.13 ERA across 12 2/3 innings. That alone would be impressive. The context makes it remarkable.
His Mesa Solar Sox teammates combined for a 6.98 team ERA. The Yankees prospect pitched like he belonged in a different league entirely.
“Smith logged three no-hit relief innings in his debut and was into his fourth inning in his second start before allowing his first hit to his final batter,” MLB’s Joe Trezza reported. “He threw a nine-pitch scoreless inning in the Fall Stars Game and finished with a 2.13 ERA and a 14-2 K/BB rate across 12 2/3 innings in the hitter-friendly league.”
That strikeout-to-walk ratio tells you everything. Smith struck out 14 batters while walking just two. In a league where pitchers routinely lose the strike zone, the Yankees rookie arm commanded his stuff like a veteran.
The Yankees No. 19 prospect emerged as the clear standout in a shallow crop of New York farmhands sent to Arizona this fall.
The pitch mix that baffled hitters
Smith does not overpower opponents. His fastball velocity sits below average for professional pitching standards. That should make the Yankees pitching prospect vulnerable in a hitter-friendly environment.
It did not.
What he does really well is spin the baseball. Smith leans on a plus slider, an above-average curveball and a developing changeup. That combination of breaking pitches kept AFL hitters guessing all fall against the Yankees rookie.
“But whenever Smith’s been on the mound, he’s found a flurry of success at the lower levels,” Trezza noted. “The sixth-round pick from the 2023 Draft has pitched to a 3.31 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and a .182 opponent average across two pro seasons despite working with below-average fastball velocity.”
Opponents hit just .182 against him over two minor league seasons. That number suggests Smith knows how to get outs regardless of his radar gun readings.
A championship pedigree
Smith arrived in professional baseball with a resume most pitching prospects would envy.
As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2021, he contributed three scoreless relief appearances during the College World Series. The Bulldogs defeated Vanderbilt 9-0 in the deciding game to claim the program’s first national championship in any team sport.
The Yankees pitching prospect knows how to pitch in pressure situations. Smith learned that lesson on the biggest stage college baseball offers.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound righty moved into Mississippi State’s rotation for his final two collegiate seasons before the Yankees selected him 192nd overall in the sixth round of the 2023 draft.
New York has developed a knack for finding pitching talent in the middle rounds. Ken Waldichuk, Hayden Wesneski, Richard Fitts, Will Warren and Chase Hampton all came from the fifth round or later. Smith fits that same mold.
Injury setback fueled his AFL opportunity
Smith did not make his first start of 2025 until July. A right shoulder injury limited him to just 39 2/3 innings during the regular minor league season.
The Yankees sent him to Arizona specifically to make up for lost development time. He responded by dominating every opponent he faced.
Across his three minor league teams in 2025, Smith logged a 2.50 ERA in 11 starts. The Yankees pitching prospect earned two promotions during the season, climbing from Rookie Ball to High-A despite the delayed start.
The AFL gave him a chance to prove his shoulder was healthy and his stuff still played. Cade Smith answered both questions emphatically.
Other Yankees who made their mark
Smith was not the only New York prospect to generate buzz in Arizona.
Infielder Enmanuel Tejeda returned from a knee injury that cost him more than a full year and slashed .254/.412/.358 with 13 steals in 20 games. The 20-year-old showed why the Yankees still view him as an exciting prospect.
Reliever Hueston Morrill converted two of three save opportunities and pitched to a 3.12 ERA across 8 2/3 innings as the Mesa closer.
Second-round pick Bryce Cunningham struggled with a 10.38 ERA but closed strong with four scoreless innings in his playoff start. His changeup remains one of the best in the league.
The Yankees opted against sending their top prospects to Arizona this fall. George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones, first-round pick Dax Kilby and the breakout pitching trio of Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and Ben Hess all stayed home.
That decision allowed Smith to seize the spotlight. He made the most of it.
Where he fits in the Yankees system
Smith currently ranks No. 19 on the Yankees prospect list. That number could rise after his AFL performance.
He has not been under team control long enough to be subject to the Rule 5 Draft just yet. The Yankees protected pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Chase Hampton, along with outfielder Spencer Jones, at the recent 40-man roster deadline.
Smith will get more time to develop without the threat of another team plucking him from the system.
Given the recent trajectory of pitching prospects within the organization, the Yankees pitching prospect could soon find himself climbing toward the same tier as the team’s top minor league arms.
The Yankees farm system has produced names like Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler who have already made impacts at the major league level. Smith wants to join that group.
His Arizona Fall League performance suggests he might be closer than anyone expected.
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