The first starter for the Victoria HarbourCats, homegrown Island-product Nick Pivetta, made it to Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Philles. The seventh starter in HarbourCats franchise history is another British Columbia pitcher who seems to have all the tools.
Six-foot-five, 225-pound Cade Smith of Abbotsford, who represented sa国际传媒 in the 2017 U-18 World Cup and was selected in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins, will be handed the ball tonight for Victoria鈥檚 West Coast League season opener in Wenatchee, Washington, against the AppleSox.
鈥淚鈥檓 super excited by this opportunity,鈥� said Smith, who was also a high school basketball and volleyball player for the Mennonite Educational Institute Eagles.
Those all-round genes come from his parents, both of whom played university basketball 鈥� dad Tim Smith with Wilfrid Laurier and mom Sylvia Smith (nee Loewen) with the Trinity Western Spartans.
Both parents are P.E. teachers in the Fraser Valley. Cade鈥檚 brother Treyson plays volleyball and basketball at MEI, and also baseball, and sister Kyla plays hoops. Sport is just something you do in the Smith household.
鈥淏aseball became my main sport but the other sports helped me with my athleticism,鈥� said Cade Smith.
Smith opted not to report to the Twins and will re-enter the draft next year as a junior with the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be 18 and spend my first year out of school in the minor pros with guys five years older,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 thought it would be better to develop in the [NCAA Big West Conference] and then re-enter the draft in my junior year. I have height, and length of arm, and pitch off my fastball. I am developing my off-speed.鈥�
There will also be that biology degree to fall back on if baseball doesn鈥檛 pan out. Not to mention that Smith gets to play ball in Hawaii, where he went 2-2 this NCAA sophomore season in seven starts and 16 appearances with one save and a 4.53 ERA. As part of the Rainbows鈥� starting rotation, Smith struck out 54 batters in 591脷2 innings of work and holding opposing batters to a combined .273 average.
鈥淭he weather is great year-round for ball,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen you think about it, people save up for years to spend a week there. I get to live there for at least three years [depending on what happens in next year鈥檚 draft].鈥�
Smith has made the most of the opportunity in many ways.
鈥淚 learned to surf in my freshman year,鈥� he said.
Now he wants to surf into a big year in Victoria. Smith played summer ball last season in the Southern California League. Being so close to home made too much sense when the HarbourCats opportunity presented itself in the WCL. He expects a lot of family and friends in the stands at Royal Athletic Park this summer.
After the three-game set in Wenatchee, the HarbourCats鈥� home opener is Friday at Wilson鈥檚 Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park against the Corvallis Knights.
DIAMOND DUST: Former HarbourCats catcher Andrew Vaughn was selected third overall in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft Monday by the Chicago White Sox. Although his time in Victoria was brief, the selection is still considered a landmark for the WCL club. Vaughn hit .381 in seven games (six league and one non-league) for Victoria in 2017 before being called up to U-18 national team duty by USA Baseball. Vaughn had eight hits in 21 at-bats with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored with the HarbourCats.
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