6'6" Air Force righty Cranz Smelcer brings starter upside, strikeout flashes, and a workhorse frame
Cranz Smelcer is a big-bodied 6-foot-6 right-hander for Air Force who has already shown starter potential, logging 18 appearances and 10 starts as a freshman in 2025 before moving into 2026 as a higher-leverage arm with flashes of swing-and-miss ability. In the 2025 season, he worked 53.2 innings with 39 strikeouts and had multiple scoreless outings, including a six-strikeout, no-earned-run effort against South Dakota State. The fit? If your staff wants a durable, athletic pitcher with command-and-development upside, he’s intriguing; if you need polished instant shutdown stuff, he’s still a project.
