Few players have turned more heads in Spring Training than Astros top prospect Cam Smith. Acquired from the Cubs alongside Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski in the Kyle Tucker trade, Smith was supposed to be the one member of that trio who would not impact the MLB team right away. The 14th overall pick last summer, he has only played 32 minor league games (just five of which have come above High-A).
Smith couldn’t have done much more this spring to force the Astros to consider whether he should break camp. He’s hitting .419 with four homers and a triple in 13 contests. He has worked five walks while striking out eight times in 36 plate appearances. That performance has kept him in big league camp into the final few days of Spring Training. There’s now a realistic chance he’ll make the team.
“We’re making some tough decisions. We want to put our best team forward. We’re having these conversations about Cam Smith,” general manager Dana Brown told Sports Talk 790. “We think he’s really good and we think he has really good upside. We have to make a decision: are we going to start him in the major leagues, or is he going to the minor leagues? … Make no mistake, I’m not afraid to put this guy in the big leagues. We’re having these discussions right now. This guy is really good.”
The Astros have hinted at that possibility with Smith’s recent defensive deployments. He was a collegiate third baseman and played there exclusively in the minors last summer. The Astros used him at the hot corner early this spring. His three most recent appearances have come in right field. That’s a position of greater need in the short term.
They’ll give most of the third base playing time to Paredes. They entered camp with Chas McCormick slated for everyday right field work. He’s coming off a personal-worst .211/.271/.306 showing over 94 games. McCormick entered last season as a career .259/.336/.449 hitter, making him a reasonable rebound candidate. He has had a bizarre spring. McCormick has walked 11 times with four strikeouts in 41 trips to the plate, but he only has four hits without a home run.
Houston presumably wouldn’t start getting Smith right field reps if they weren’t serious about him as a short-term MLB option. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll break camp. Chandler Rome of The Athletic wrote on March 6 (before Smith had any right field reps this spring) that the Astros intended to get him playing time at the position in the minor leagues. Sending him to Double-A or Triple-A for at least a few weeks may still be on the table, but the Astros have already accelerated plans to get Smith in-game outfield work.
If he does force his way onto the MLB roster, McCormick would profile as a fourth outfielder. He could take at-bats in Jake Meyers’ stead in center field. McCormick could also work into left field at times, allowing Houston to occasionally bring Jose Altuve back into second base.
Great job Jed!
These are ST at-bats. If you think Cam will outhit, utfield and outrun Tucker over 162 games in 2025, you are mistaken.
I haven’t heard anyone say they thought he would. He’s not competing with Tucker, but McCormick.
I was going to ask about ‘26 or ‘27, but Tucker might still outhit him. . . For the Yankees, Red Sox, or some other team.
If the world ends after 2025 then the Cubs won the trade.
Is it scheduled to? I haven’t checked my Mayan calendar recently.
Hee hee. Couple of months of Tucker for all of Cam Smiths upside, plus Paredes and Wisnieski. Tick tock tick tock on first making the playoff the one time. You can do it. 85 wins. So close!
Is Paredes not considered a 2B anymore? Cam could stay at his natural spot
Smith’s defense at 3B supposedly isn’t the best.
It looks like giving up 6 years of a prospect who raked in his first professional year for a year of Tucker was a bad idea.
Way too early to tell. So many prospects rake in the minors/Spring Training and then hit a wall in the majors (e.g. Holiday last year or Kelenic for his entire career).
The Cubs also had a roster and prospect class that was overloaded with solid players, but desperately needed more star power which Tucker provides (they still have Shaw for 3B long term, Suizuki, Happ and Hoerner for COF and 2B for next two years and prospects Cassie, Triantos and Alcantara looming).
It’s definitely too early to say but one thing is certain: in an off-season the Cubs traded for 1 year of Kyle Tucker, they didn’t do enough else with the roster.
The cubs traded for “Star power” to win? Like Luka? Is this the NBA? Guess the Cubs need a punter, a possession receiver, a #9 striker, and a second line right winger too.
Star Power is very important in the MLB. Tucker as a 5-6 WAR player is more valuable than if Smith and Parades combine for 5-6 WAR because of the efficiency of a lineup spot.
I do agree that the Cubs should’ve done more to address their pitching (e.g. swapping Boyd for someone better). The Cubs biggest issue is that the Dodgers might have assembled the greatest team in decades this year and a healthy Braves team is insanely strong. Otherwise, I think they can realistically be better than each of the Phillies, Mets, Brewers, DBacks or Padres.
Uh, what?
Smith started early Spring Training playing 3B, and I suspect the internal evaluation is that he’s not ready for 3B at the MLB level. The team is being very particular about infield defense across the board right now.
So this guy hits well in like 30 plate appearances in Spring frigging training and now he’s ready to star in the majors? I’m not buying it.
He hit well in the minors (his only professional year), making it to AA as a 21-year-old, then raked in ST.
He might not be ready now, but he’s not far off.
The real question is whether Cam is superior to Shaw or not. If they are equal or Shaw is better, it was an acceptable trade for the Cubs. The Cubs had a huge number of top prospects and kept all but one. Jed has had some poor years, this was not one of them. To call it a good year will require Pressly and Boyd to come through.
Smith is a corner OF. So Shaw has nothing to do with nothing.
If you ask your average MLBTR commenter, they’ll tell you that he’ll be ready when he’s about 29.
He’s got a much better chance of starring than his competition in right field, Chas McCormick.
Stros are making a lot of people scratch their heads right now, Altuve in left? Green rookie in right? at this rate they might sign Abreau to DH
That’s some cheap but tasty beer that Strohs
Cubs let themselves get fleeced.
Like lambs to the barber they got fleeced. Baaaa!
This deal already looks brutal going to be even worse when Boras has Tucker walk to the highest bidder and all the cubs end up with is a comp pick oof
Actually I stand corrected just looked it up they can’t even extend a qualifying offer supposedly man this deal is even more brutal than anyone could’ve imagined
Where did you get that info from? Tucker is definitely eligible to get QO if he’s not traded mid season.
Where are you getting your misguided info from? They can certainly Q.O. him.
The Cubs plan to compete. It’s like the what the Yankees gave up for Soto. Padres could’ve gotten more for Soto if not for his high final arb year salary. He was never going to sign an extension no matter what the Yankees offered him before free agency. I don’t regret that trade one bit where he helped carry the team to a World Series. Hopefully, Tucker helps them win the NL Central. At least let the deal play out before passing judgment.
The Cubs need more than Tucker though. For the Yankees, Soto was like the cherry on top of the sundae. Not so much for the Cubs, when you have the likes of Michael Busch batting behind Tucker. I think Tucker had Yordan bat behind him in Houston lol…that’s a big difference.
I’d say he’s more like the whipped cream on top of the ice cream makes it better but to be a complete sundae with a cherry on top, you need to win it all.
I like Counsell but Tucker bats second, Suzuki third, not the other way around.
Too bad Boras doesn’t represent Tucker.
Oop you did it again
Man, if this guy can be good, and make me and everyone else eat our words regarding that Tucker trade, then fantastic. I wish him the best! He’s a good looking, strong dude! I kinda like this guy, and I’m an anti-Astros fan.
Seems to have worked for San Diego last season…some kid named Jackson Merrill.
I’m sure if we went back to the comments on this site about Merrill last spring, we’d read the same misguided opinions about how he needed more time in the minors and more “seasoning.”
Or a more likely comparison would be Jordan Walker or Christopher Morel.
Paredes and Wesnicki had no use to the Cubs other than trade bait. Cam Smith was a large price but trading for Tucker was reasonable because they kept Shaw, Horton, Caissie, Traintos, Ballesteros, Alcantara, Bown and Wicks.
For starters, Wrigley was weird last year, it acted like a pitcher’s park. So a few more days with the wind blowing out, and Parades might not have been as bad.
If you don’t like that, Parades could have been traded separately. It wasn’t like he was untradeable.
Giving up Smith for Tucker was also pointless. Tucker is a 1-year rental meant to cover up the Bellinger trade. But they could’ve either let Suzuki take RF/Dh and roll with Cassie and/or Alcantara and/or Bellasteros.
The three prospects mentioned need more time in Iowa. Cam Smith could use some time in AAA for the Astros, too.
Top prospects like Smith don’t tend to spend a lot of time in the minors.
The 3 all reached and played at AAA. It would have been reasonable to expect 1 to be adequate. Alcantara looked about ready in ST.
Where’s Unclemike??
He’s too depressed after watching the Japan series.
Hugging all the other prospects.
The Royals have a similar situation with Jac Caglianone. Drafted last year as a 1st baseman, he’s ripped the cover off the ball all spring for a team that needs a corner outfielder. And he just got demoted to AA…for now, anyway. I think it’s the right call, suspect it would be the same for Smith and the Stros.
Except the Cubs aren’t going to be competitive this season, aren’t going to contend. They aren’t a terrible team, but they are a little short in all departments. In particular, they lack the energy that a cocky, energetic rookie like Smith could bring. They should have offered the earnest, hardworking, but somehow limited Shaw in the trade instead of Smith, Hoyer always guesses wrong.
Would love to see Smith make the team, since every Astros fan knows Meyers and McCormick is a temporary solution and at one position at best.
But I suspect they’ll send him down to get RF reps long enough to keep him from super two service time.
Smith has a future, obviously, but AA or AAA first seems to be the wisest move. I think Zack Dicenzo has the longer track record and has been equally impressive this spring. It would be a bold move, but DFA McCormick. He has gone into the tank and it doesn’t seem to be coming back out. At this point Smith and Dicenzo are better options.
I signed up to come here and say this.
Lets compare, shall we?
Smith: No OF experience. Less than 40 professional games. Not on the 40 man.
Dezenzo: OF experience in the minors. In pro games since 2022 with a decent cup of coffee in the majors. On the 40 man.
Stop the hype train, folks. Smith is going to probably AA, Dezenzo gets the nod in RF.
Yes Cam Smith has the make roster I say if he doesn’t he might be in the minors but he won’t be there too long..I remember when Jose Altuve in the minors he was with Lancaster,Corpus Christi in 2011 and was called up to the Astros
Starting over, Yrs Cam Smith has to make the roster I say if he doesn’t he might be in the minors but he won’t be there long. I remember when Jose Altuve in the minors he played with Lancaster, Corpus Christi and Astros in 2011. Altuve never played in AAA
0 and 2 but wins are right around the corner they can taste it
As usual, Dumpster 0 for 6 in his comments.
If Smith was a normal every day outfielder i’d say go for it 100%, No way would Chas come out on top. But considering Smith’s total lack of outfield experience I think he needs to build some up in the minors first
The Cub Way. Trade prospects for 1 yr of a guy and the constant 10 yr rebuilds…..and a lot of crying.
Everyone thinks service time manipulation only works by delaying promotions. The Astros might be proving it can work the other way too—by calling up a player just early enough to maximize control while suppressing long-term earnings.