Astros May Have Made Wrong Decision Accelerating Top Prospect to MLB

The Houston Astros rookie sensation is struggling to make the transition to the big leagues, especially at the plate.

Michael Brauner | Apr 4, 2025

Mar 28, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) reacts after a play during the game against the New York Mets at Daikin Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

The season is just getting started for the Houston Astros, though it would be fair to say things have not gotten off to an ideal start.

With a win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday fresh off a sweep at home at the hands of the San Francisco Giants, Houston's record improved to 3-4 and they will try to take command of the series, leaving Minnesota with a record above .500.

Though it's a long season and there is plenty of reason to think the Astros will get back on the right track sooner rather than later, there has been a glaring issue in the lineup which was a controversial decision from the start.

Rookie sensation Cam Smith — who defied the odds to make the Opening Day roster despite playing in a total of just 32 minor league games — has struggled immensely. Things got off to a quick start when he got a hit on the first pitch he saw, but since then Smith has not been effective.

Slashing .143/.294/.143 with just two total hits and none of them going for extra bases, Smith has quickly found out that becoming an every day player at this level is not going to come nearly as easy as it did in the spring.

During Thursday's game, he was even replaced in the eighth inning in right field by Chas McCormick as he was due up in the ninth and to that point had another 0-for-3 day with three ugly at-bats.

In Smith's eyes, the baseball looked the size of a beach ball during the spring and allowed him to slash a ridiculous .342/.419/.711 with four home runs and 11 RBI over the course of just 15 games.

That power he showed during camp has not materialized yet, and it is close to being apparent that Smith simply was not ready for this level.

If that is indeed the case, there's certainly no shame in it for the 22-year-old. He simply has not played a lot of professional baseball to this point and Houston may have set him up to fail by giving him the call this early.

There's still time for Smith to turn it around, but at the rate he's currently struggling it would not be surprising to see him sent back down sometime over the next couple of weeks.

Chances are the Astros are not yet ready to admit they make a mistake and they should still let it play out. However, these games now count in the standings and if Smith isn't a Major League quality player yet, they cannot afford to keep throwing him out there every day.

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