Houston Astros Star Prospect Will Reportedly Be Introduced to New Position

The Houston Astros are reportedly going to introduce their star prospect to a new position this spring.
Jun 14, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA;  Tennessee Volunteers second baseman Christian Moore (1) slides into third base with a triple against Florida State Seminoles third baseman Cam Smith (24) during the first inning at Charles Schwab Filed Omaha
Jun 14, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers second baseman Christian Moore (1) slides into third base with a triple against Florida State Seminoles third baseman Cam Smith (24) during the first inning at Charles Schwab Filed Omaha / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
In this story:

When the Houston Astros landed Cam Smith as part of the Kyle Tucker trade package, he immediately boosted their pipeline and became their No. 1-ranked prospect.

Considering the Astros have routinely had one of the lowest-rated farm systems in baseball the past handful of years, earning that distinction wasn't too notable on the surface. But the fact it came after he only played a partial stretch of a minor league season following him being taken in the first round of the 2024 draft, showed how much potential he has.

Smith immediately turned heads on the farm of the Chicago Cubs, putting together a record-setting power surge that earned him a promotion to Double-A to finish out the year.

Even though Isaac Paredes was the immediate Alex Bregman replacement landed in this deal, the star prospect is seen as the featured part of Houston's return package.

Paredes was an All-Star in 2024 with the Tampa Bay Rays before he fell off in the second half of the year. The hope is he can regain his form with the Astros and man the hot corner for the next three seasons he's under club control.

At that point, Smith should be more than ready to take over at third base.

However, Chandler Rome of The Athletic had an interesting note about what Houston plans to do with Smith during Spring Training as a non-roster invite.

"More work is needed on his defense at third base and more exposure is needed in the corner outfield spots — an introduction to a new position that will begin in spring training," he reports.

That's certainly interesting.

While it's standard for players to get reps at multiple positions when they are young, it seemed pretty cut-and-dry that Smith was acquired to become the third baseman of this franchise's future. If his defense needs work before that happens, having him play another position seems to be counterintuitive.

Does that mean the Astros could be eyeing a full position change?

Not necessarily.

But it does point to how they might not be fully set on him staying at third base by the time he reaches the Majors.

Again, getting him introduced to new positions is pretty standard for young players, so looking this deeply into it might be much ado about nothing. But it is certainly something that will be interesting to monitor during his first big league camp this spring.


Published
Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai