Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Manager Says Team Is Considering Top Prospect for Opening Day

The Houston Astros top prospect keeps making his case.

Michael Brauner

Feb 22, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros infielder Cam Smith rounds second base in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Feb 22, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros infielder Cam Smith rounds second base in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros are just a week away from Opening Day and what the roster is look like is beginning to take shape.

The status of at least one young player has been the largest talking point in the fanbase throughout spring training though, and he continues to show each and every day why that is the case.

In what at the beginning of the spring seemed completely far fetched and absurd, Astros top prospect Cam Smith - acquired from the Chicago Cubs this offseason in the Kyle Tucker trade - is making a real push for the Opening Day roster.

Though Smith has not even played a full season of minor league ball, he has come in this spring and simply destroyed opposing pitchers en route to becoming one of the best players in the entire Grapefruit League this spring.

On Wednesday, Smith hit yet another home run, his fourth of the spring:

On the spring, Smith is now slashing a completely absurd .419/.500/.871 with four home runs and 11 RBI in just 31 at bats, proving to be even more talented than Houston may have though when they stole him away from the Cubs.

A natural infielder and potential third base of the future, Smith has even shown the versatility this camp to make starts in the outfield and hold his own, showing positional capability at two needy spots and making himself even more valuable to the team from out of the gate this season.

For as crazy as it seemed even just a few weeks ago, Smith has put himself in a position where the Astros may have no choice but to give him a chance from the start of the season.

After the loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday - another two hit effort for Smith - manager Joe Espada spoke to the media about the possibility of him making the roster for Opening Day and it certainly sounds like it's at the very least being considered.

"He continues to hit the ball to all fields with power, swing decisions are excellent and he made a couple of plays down the right field corner there where I think he handled himself really well," Espada said via Michael Schwab of the Ice Box Insider. "He continues to push the hand on us, he's putting himself in a really good position so we'll continue to evaluate him."

Whether or not it's a good idea to place him in the big leagues from the start of the year is an entirely different discussion. The freshly minted 22-year-old has played a total of just 32 games in the minor leagues after being drafted last year in the first round by Chicago.

More notably, just five of those 32 games have even come at the Double-A level.

The argument can be made that no matter what Smith has done in exhibition games, he should start the season in Double-A and continue to develop before facing the rigors of being an every day big leaguer.

Nonetheless though, Smith is clearly making a major impression not only on fans but on his coaches and the organization as a whole as he continues to push.

It might just be enough for them to be convinced he is more than capable of helping the team right away.

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Michael Brauner
MICHAEL BRAUNER

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