Cubs prospect's ridiculous home run streak prompts promotion to South Bend

After going yard in six consecutive games, Cam Smith is headed to High-A South Bend.

2024 MLB Draft Presented by Nike
2024 MLB Draft Presented by Nike | Gene Wang/GettyImages

With last year's first-round pick, Matt Shaw already knocking on the door at Triple-A Iowa, watching this year's first-rounder, Cam Smith, turn a heater at the plate into a promotion to High-A South Bend is the stuff Cubs fans dream of.

Smith set a Myrtle Beach Pelicans franchise record over the last week, homering in six straight games before earning the call on Sunday - netting a first promotion just over two months after being selected by Chicago with the #14 overall pick.

Cam Smith has gotten off to a historic start in his professional career

Smith overcame a rocky freshman season at Florida State, overhauling his swing in the Cape Cod League before his coming-out party as a sophomore. He batted .387/.488/.654 with 44 strikeouts to 48 walks, helping the Noles punch a ticket to Omaha. The latest MLB Pipeline prospect rankings have Smith as the Cubs' #8 organizational prospect, headlining the next wave behind Iowa's half-dozen top 100 talents leading the charge.

Other top infield prospects in the system include, of course, Shaw, and James Triantos. Smith will join Jefferson Rojas, the club's #7-ranked prospect, at High-A. Rojas has struggled with the bat this season, with a .660 OPS on the year in 93 games, but given the fact he's just 19 years old, the Cubs will preach patience with his development.

He'll get a chance to close out the year at South Bend, potentially setting him up for an early-season Double-A debut in 2025. Expecting him to jump through the system at the same pace as Shaw isn't fair, but it's safe to say he's off to a strong start.

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