Cam Smith is turning heads in Astros camp: 'The next 60-homer guy'

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

The prospect whos captivating a clubhouse is built like a Transformer and beating his entire team to the ballpark.

His smile seems almost permanent and his swing is the envy of players so many years his senior.

Scouts cant stop salivating over Cam Smiths potential while coaches are offering the sort of comparisons that cant be ignored.

Advertisement Obviously hes older than Carlos Correa, but I had Carlos when he was 19 years old.

Its the same way Cam Smith goes about his business, Astros bench coach Omar Lopez said.

Lopez is among the first people to arrive at the Houston Astros spring training complex.

On most mornings early in camp, Lopez entered the gym around 6 a.m.

for a quick workout.

He always saw Smith upstairs, starting his preparations for the day ahead.

Hes the best player in this spring training camp that we got right now, numbers-wise.

Hes the best performer, utilityman Mauricio Dubon said.

Still, 6 a.m., 6:30 a.m., hes in the cages working.

Hes grounded and working every day.

Its only been five weeks, but what Ive seen in five weeks, everyone likes him.

Smiths superb spring training has transfixed the entire organization and forced a conversation few considered feasible five weeks ago.

His candidacy to crack Houstons Opening Day roster is serious and seems to strengthen after each Grapefruit League at-bat or conversation behind closed doors inside the clubhouse.

He does look like a big leaguer to me, shortstop Jeremy Pena said.

Hes a guy that, if he stays healthy and keeps doing what hes doing, hell play in the big leagues for a really, really long time.

Smith just turned 22 last month and is a veteran of just 134 professional plate appearances, but is spoken about like someone with triple the service time.

His charisma is contagious to his locker-mates, some of whom shake their heads in amazement at Smiths potential.

You can quote me on this: When he figures it out, when he has an idea of what theyre going to do to him in the big leagues, I think hes going to be the next 60-homer guy, said Dubon, who dresses two lockers away from Smith.

Hell put in the work and hes got that much pop.

Advertisement Five of Smiths 13 hits this spring have fallen for extra bases.

He homered in his first two official at-bats in Grapefruit League play before adding two more across the past four days.

That both came against established major-league pitchers Tylor Megill and A.J.

Minter cant be overstated.

Going opposite field against Megill into a swirling wind garnered praise from Dubon.

Pulling the ball against Minter intrigued manager Joe Espada.

I like that I dont see him overswinging a lot, first baseman Christian Walker said.

It looks like he trusts that and he knows he just has to put the bat on the ball and good things can potentially happen for him.

When I see plate discipline, its watching a guy who feels like he knows who he is at the plate.

Smiths .419/.500/.871 slash line this spring does not represent the entirety of his offensive prowess.

He has impressed team officials and opposing scouts with how early he chooses to take pitches, showing both an understanding of the strike zone and the sort of pitches against which he can do damage.

You see that and you see the confidence after the takes, Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker said.

Like, Yes, I made the right decision.

I think thats an important thing, that it looks like hes always ready to hit and then he makes the decision to not swing, not the decision to swing.

Smith, the centerpiece of the Astros haul for Kyle Tucker, has been in Houstons organization for four months.

Few inside the clubhouse had ever met him before he reported to spring training last month.

Upon shaking his hand, Pena proclaimed, Thats a strong boy.

Hes built like a Transformer, Pena said.

You can see that.

He looks the part.

But he acts the part, too.

Focus on the final sentence.

To those inside Houstons clubhouse, behaving like a big leaguer may be more important than batting like one.

Advertisement Smith came from the Cubs organization with excellent marks for his makeup, but it has exceeded anything Houston officials anticipated when they acquired him.

Pena described Smith as pure, someone with a pure heart and pure mind, a guy that you can talk to, a guy you can get dinner with and a guy you want to hang out with.

Everybody is talented here.

Everybody is good.

But being a good person, being a good clubhouse guy says a lot more than what you do on the field, Dubon said.

For Walker, the newest addition to the Astros veteran-laden clubhouse, it is clear Smith has separated himself with his on-field performance.

Everything hes observed off of it is far more meaningful.

As a teammate, I want to be able to look over and know I can trust that guy when s is hitting the fan, Walker said.

I think the makeup, the calmness, the maturity, confidence, all that, kind of adds up into making that decision of I can trust this guy or I dont want that guy in a spot where a game is on the line.

So far, hes checking all the boxes for sure.

Little things are important, Walker said, like Smith maintaining eye contact in conversations.

So is consistency in tone and how Smith is treating teammates.

That Smith has stayed in control of himself as outside attention grows is commendable, Walker said.

He is even taking some good-natured teasing from teammates in stride.

Just talking s, like normal talking s.

Like, Thats all you got? Dont f it up.

Dont mess it up.

If you hit a home run, you make the team,' Dubon said.

And he takes it ...

and hits a homer.

Cam Smith continues to mash everything in sight during the Grapefruit League The @astros ' No.

1 prospect ups his spring slash line to .419/.500/.871 with his fourth homer of camp: pic.twitter.com/CHscoL0kvF MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 20, 2025 He doesnt pout or anything.

Hes going to fit in great.

When he will do so is a mystery.

Smith is still in firm contention to make the club out of camp, but rostering him on Opening Day would be almost unprecedented for the modern era of Astros baseball.

Both Nolan Schanuel and Zack Neto made their major-league debuts during the 2023 season after a similar, small minor-league sample size.

However, both played for a Los Angeles Angels team with no prayer of contending for a playoff spot.

Advertisement Carrying Smith on the Opening Day roster of a club with higher expectations is a far more fascinating proposition.

Doing so would require Smith to play right field, a position he never trained for in college and only began playing within the past 10 days.

That the team has already committed to Jose Altuve in left field amid a sometimes shaky transition must be considered, too.

Amazing kid.

Great swing, under control, Altuve said of Smith.

He seems like hes very mature for being a year in professional baseball.

He controls his at-bats.

General manager Dana Brown is known for promoting prospects at breakneck speeds, but to do so with Smith, he must consider the ramifications if Smith cant replicate these spring results.

There is risk in cratering Smiths confidence if he like so many premier prospects that preceded him struggles in his first taste of major-league life.

Sending Smith to Double-A for more seasoning may be the most sensible move, but he is hitting and handling himself with such aplomb that the Astros could stray from logic.

He dominated his first year in pro ball and hes a guy that you just have to keep testing him and see how far you can push him, Pena said.

Hes going to fight back.

Hes the one thats going to push back.

Hes just got to show you what hes got.

(Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images).

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