The Chicago Cubs selected Florida State infielder Cam Smith with the No. 14 pick in the 2024 MLB draft on Sunday.
Smith, 21, played two seasons at Florida State following a high school career at Palm Beach Central in Wellington, Fla.
More Top Picks Best Premium Recumbent Bikes For Bad Backs
The right-hander hit a career .331/.420/.594 with 28 home runs and 93 RBIs for the Seminoles. Collegiately he spent most of his time at third base but played a few games in the outfield.
“Well, I think the history speaks for itself,” Smith said Sunday of being drafted by the Cubs. “I’ve got a ton of respect for the organization, everybody involved in that team. So I’m just excited man, this is an awesome opportunity.”
The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Smith also played one season for Hyannis of the Cape Cod League, hitting .347/.406/.575 with 12 doubles and six home runs in the wood bat league where he was named an All-Star.
“We probably ended up having more options at our pick than we anticipated, which is always good,” Cubs vice president of amateur scouting Dan Kantrovitz said Sunday night. “Cam was somebody that we prioritized from the beginning. … His combination of performance and tools and still some upside with some unlocks that we’ve identified make it a pretty exciting combination of characteristics.”
Smith was drafted one pick after his Florida State teammate James Tibbs, who was selected at No. 13 by the San Francisco Giants.
Here’s who else the Cubs picked.
No. 54: Cole Mathis
With the No. 54 pick, the Cubs made College of Charleston’s Cole Mathis their second-round selection.
Mathis is a 6-1, 210-pound Georgia native who played three seasons in Charleston. In his first two seasons he pitched and played the infield, but some elbow issues limited Mathis to first base in 2024. He hit .335/.472/.650 with 14 home runs this year. His father, Sammie Mathis, pitched for two minor-league seasons in the Cleveland organization.
Cubs’ Day 2 picks
- No. 90, 3rd round: SS Ronny Cruz, Miami Christian School
- No. 120, 4th round: SS Ty Southisene, Basic High School (Nevada)
- No. 153, 5th round: C Ariel Armas, U of San Diego
- No. 182, 6th round: RHP Ryan Gallagher, UC Santa Barbara
- No. 212, 7th round: OF Ivan Brethowr, UC Santa Barbara
- No. 242, 8th round: 1B Edgar Alvarez, Nicholls State
- No. 272, 9th round: RHP Brooks Caple, Lamar
- No. 302, 10th round: 3B Matt Halbach, UC San Diego
More Top Picks Why Reading Is Hard After A Concussion
Cubs’ Day 3 picks
- No. 332, 11th round: OF Eli Lovich, Blue Valley West High School (Kansas)
- No. 362, 12th round: RHP Daniel Avitia, Grand Canyon
- No. 392, 13th round: LHP Evan Aschenbeck, Texas A&M
- No. 422, 14th round: 1B Cameron Sisneros, East Tennessee
- No. 452, 15th round: LHP Hayden Frank, Lipscomb
- No. 482, 16th round: LHP Christian Gordon, Virginia Commonwealth
- No. 512, 17th round: RHP Ben Johnson, Georgia Southern
- No. 542, 18th round: RHP Thomas Mangus, Navarro College
- No. 572, 19th round: C Owen Ayers, Marshall
- No. 602, 20th round: RHP Brayden Risedorph, Indiana