On December 13th the Cubs acquired superstar Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The price to acquire him was hefty, despite the fact he is only under contract for one more season. The Astros acquired major leaguers Isaac Parades and Hayden Wesneski in the deal, but perhaps the biggest part of the trade was prospect Cam Smith.At the time of the deal, Smith was in his first year of professional baseball and was ranked as the 73rd-best prospect in MLB. The former 14th overall pick out of Florida State, burst onto the scene last year and made it up to the Cubs Double-A affiliate.
Cam Smith has been very impressive so far
Smith went viral for his six consecutive games with a home run last season. He impressed many people within the baseball community despite playing in just thirty-two games. One of the people he certainly impressed was Astros GM Dana Brown, who made him a centerpiece in one of the biggest trades all offseason.
So far in spring training Smith looks like an absolute steal for the Astros. His slash line of .423/.516/.773 at the time of writing this is incredible. Especially for someone who hasn’t even played professional baseball for a full calendar year. Add to this his three homers this spring, and it’s easy to see why the Astros believe they may have struck gold with this deal.
Despite not making it past Double-A so far in his career, some are speculating that Cam Smith may make the Astro’s opening-day roster. Entering this season as the 58th-ranked prospect in baseball, a fifteen-spot jump from last season, the expectations from Astros fans are high. His move from third base to corner outfield is a sign that the Astros want him to play in the majors sooner rather than later. Ironically, he may be Tucker’s immediate replacement in right field for the Astros come opening day.
