Cam Smith Becomes First Pelican to Homer in Six Consecutive Games
August 27, 2024 by Sam Weiderhaft Prior to the Pelicans’ series in Charleston, 2024 Cubs’ first-round pick Cam Smith had struggled in his first few games of professional baseball. He collected just four hits in his first 26 at-bats, with 10 strikeouts. “You’ve got to think a little bit more,”
August 27, 2024 by Sam Weiderhaft
Prior to the Pelicans’ series in Charleston, 2024 Cubs’ first-round pick Cam Smith had struggled in his first few games of professional baseball. He collected just four hits in his first 26 at-bats, with 10 strikeouts.
“You’ve got to think a little bit more,” Smith said at the time, talking about the adjustments he’s had to make to professional pitching. “It’s pretty much the same game, but at the same time, if you have a weakness, they’ll expose it.”
Nobody could have predicted what he would do against the RiverDogs in Charleston.
The 14th overall pick launched his first professional home run in the series-opener on August 20th with a three-run home run in the eight. His next home run came a day later, with a solo homer in the eighth to tie the game.
The power continued, as Smith hit another one in the third game of the series, a two-run shot in the third. He tied a Pelicans’ franchise record with a home run in his fourth consecutive game on August 23rd, a solo blast in the seventh inning.
As Cubs fans started to notice what Smith was in the middle of, he continued his streak and set the new franchise record with home run number five on August 24th on another solo homer, this one coming in the seventh.
“I would say the main thing was timing,” Smith said to MLB.com after the game Saturday. “That’s always something that us ball players have to get used to when you get back into the flow of things.”
Cam put a cap on the week with a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game on August 25th. The six-game home run streak is tied for the longest in Minor League Baseball this season.
Through the week, Smith drove in 11 runs and posted an OPS of 2.006 while hitting .524. He forced a promotion to High-A South Bend after playing just two and a half weeks in Myrtle Beach.
“I’m definitely going to enjoy these moments with these guys,” Cam said in the middle of his first (and only) series in Myrtle Beach. “They’re so welcoming, they’ve made me feel like family from the get-go.
Safe to say, Smith is enjoying his time in the Cubs organization so far. He will look to continue that success and finish the season strong with the South Bend Cubs in High-A to close out 2024.