The Houston Astros have had Alex Bregman at third base for nearly a decade. However, after he signed with the Boston Red Sox this offseason, Houston had a void to fill. To fill that, Houston dealt Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and highly rated prospect Cam Smith. While Paredes is expected to start at third, it’s Cam Smith who’s making all the noise this spring.
Cam Smith Looks Like a Natural-Born Leader
Astros assistant general manager Gavin Dickey had high praise for the 22-year-old prospect (ranked 58th in the MLB’s Top 100) In a recent episode of Crush City Territory, Dickey said Smith’s presence in camp has elevated everybody around him:
“The thing that has everybody excited about Cam is the makeup. It’s special. He has the ability to raise the floor of players around him without trying. Just because of how he goes about his work on an everyday basis—his approach in practice is diligent, his attention to detail is diligent—and you don’t see that very often from a 22-year-old.”
Astros assistant GM Gavin Dickey says Cam Smith has the ability to raise the floor of players around him without even trying. pic.twitter.com/i3HPsHmlMK
— Crush City Territory (@Crush_City_Pod) March 13, 2025
Smith was drafted 14th overall in the first round of the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Florida State University. In his first season in the minors, he produced a solid hitting line of: .313 (avg.), .396 (OBP), and .609 (SLG). Pair that with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 32 games across three levels (A, A+, AA) with the Cubs organization, and Smith had quickly made a name for himself.
Smith has wasted no time introducing himself to the Astros franchise and fan base this spring either, producing a ridiculous .409/.519/.773 line with nine hits in 22 at-bats (five walks), two home runs, and seven RBIs.
Despite being a third baseman, Smith started his first game in right field on Thursday against the Cardinals in an effort to make the Opening Day roster, and he’s fully embracing the challenge.
“Honestly, it’s fun,” Smith said. “Learning something new is always fun, and I think this is a whole other opportunity for me, opening a whole new door for me. It’s good to learn something new every day, honestly, because that’s the goal as ballplayers—to get at least one thing you can go home and say, ‘Hey, I learned something new today.’”
It’s that willingness and excitement for the game that make Smith a legit candidate to break camp with the big league club and make his MLB debut when the Astros open the season later this month against the Mets.