
Former Palm Beach Central High School head baseball coach Tony Gullo has said, “Once a Bronco, always a Bronco.” Even though Gullo, who led the PBCHS baseball program for nine years, resigned after the conclusion of this past spring’s high school baseball season, he remains emotionally connected to the program, especially when it comes to following the success of his former players.
Right now, two of his recent graduates — Cameron Smith and C.J. Kayfus — are playing Major League Baseball. Smith, 22, is patrolling the outfield for the Houston Astros, while Kayfus, 23, is now playing in the outfield for the Cleveland Guardians.
Smith has been on the Astros roster for the entire season, while Kayfus is a recent addition to Cleveland’s roster.
Kayfus, who played three years for the University of Miami and was a third-round draft selection by the Guardians in 2023, made his MLB debut on Saturday, Aug. 2. That day, he started the game in right field and batted eighth in the lineup. He went 0-for-4, but he did drive in a run to help propel the Guardians to a 5-4 win against the Minnesota Twins. In his second game, on Sunday, Aug. 3, Kayfus batted eighth again. He was the designated hitter, went 1-for-4, and scored a run. His first MLB base hit was a double. However, the Guardians lost the game to the Twins, 5-4.
Despite being a third-round draft choice two years ago, it didn’t take Kayfus long to earn his way to the big leagues. Last year, he played in the minor leagues for two single A teams and one double A squad.

This year, Kayfus has spent his entire baseball season playing in Ohio. He started the 2025 season playing for the Akron RubberDucks, an AA team in the Eastern League. There, Kayfus hit .364 with nine extra base hits and 11 RBIs. He played in Akron for just three weeks before being promoted to the AAA Columbus Clippers, who play in the International League. While playing for the Clippers, Kayfus hit .283, slugged 13 round-trippers and drove in 43 runs.
According to Chris Antonetti, the Cleveland Guardians’ director of baseball operations, one of Kayfus’ strengths is his ability to play multiple positions. While his main position is first base, he was given a chance to play in the outfield at the minor league level and was successful.
“The more positions players can play capably, the more chances they’ll have of impacting the major league team,” said Antonetti during an interview with Cleveland.com. “C.J. is among those players in Columbus who we feel has a chance to help us in the second half [of the current season].”
Smith, who made his MLB debut on March 27 of this year, had a brief, 32-game stint in the minor leagues before earning a spot on the Astros’ Opening Day roster. He remains on Houston’s roster.
Like Kayfus, one of Smith’s strengths is his ability to play multiple positions. Smith has been a lifelong infielder, playing either third base or shortstop, but he’s playing in the outfield for Houston. He has become a fixture in right field for the Astros.
Through Aug. 3, Smith has played in 96 games with 345 at-bats. He is batting .252 with 87 base hits, 45 RBIs and 39 runs scored. He has drawn 32 walks and slugged seven home runs. Smith was a first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cubs in 2024, after playing college baseball for Florida State University in 2023 and 2024.
Gullo has nothing but words of praise for both Kayfus and Smith.
“It’s no surprise that both are playing Major League Baseball,” Gullo said. “They both deserve, and both have worked hard to get there.”
According to Gullo, he saw Smith’s talent years ago.
“At a young age, I could see that Cam was going to be a very special player,” he said.
Gullo feels the same way about Kayfus.
“C.J. is the best first baseman that I have ever coached,” Gullo said. “His hands are electric, and he has great eye-to-bat-to-ball coordination.”
Kayfus and Smith are the fifth and sixth former PBCHS baseball players to make it to the big leagues. The other four are pitcher Brad Peacock, infielder Devon Travis, pitcher Bobby Poyner and pitcher Anthony Maldonado.