Minor League Baseball

Prospect Cam Smith Joins Unbelievably Rare History as He Makes Houston Astros Roster

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Smith has made the Astros' Opening Day roster. This means he joins an extremely small group of position players to make the majors with less than 100 minor leagues under their belts.

Brady Farkas

Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith slides safely into third base during the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park on March 16.
Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith slides safely into third base during the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park on March 16. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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TUESDAY, 4:45 p.m. ET: Smith has made the team, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

MONDAY, 6:30 pm. ET: While it's not officially official, it seems as if it's going to happen: Top prospect Cam Smith is going to make the Houston Astros' roster for Opening Day. And when he does, he'll do so in historic fashion.

According to Jim Callis of MLB.com, Smith's 32 games in the minor leagues will be the third-fastest that someone has gone from the draft to the big leagues, with only Pete Incaviglia and John Olerud getting their quicker.

...During his pro debut, he homered in six consecutive games in Single-A and also went deep in the Double-A Southern League playoffs, batting a combined .313/.396/.609 with seven blasts in 32 games. If he breaks camp with the Astros, he'll join Paul Molitor and Mark Teixeira (see below) are the only players on this list whose teams changed their positions to get them on the Opening Day roster.

With Grapefruit League play now over, Smith finishes at a .342 batting average with four homers, 11 RBI and eight runs scored. He went 13-for-38. With regards to Callis's note, Smith is a third baseman by trade who will likely move to right field.

He'll replace Kyle Tucker in that spot. The two were traded for each other this offseason. Smith is ranked as the No. 58 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline.

The Astros are coming off a season in which they won the American League West before getting eliminated in the wild card round of the American League playoffs.

They'll open the season on Thursday at home against the New York Mets.

Related MiLB Stories

EMOTIONAL CALL: Shane Smith, who was a Rule-5 draft choice of the Chicago White Sox this winter, has made the team. He shared an emotional call with his family, which you can see here. CLICK HERE:

MAYO CLARIFIES: After his comments on being demoted grabbed headlines, Orioles prospect Coby Mayo issued another set of comments. CLICK HERE:

LAWLAR DOWN: Jordan Lawlar, one of the top prospects in baseball, was sent to Triple-A this week by the Arizona Diamondbacks. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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