Houston Astros Top Prospect Showing Elite Power Potential in Spring Training

With spring training well underway for the Houston Astros, the team is gearing up for what they hope will be a good season.

After a plethora of player movement this winter, it’s hard to predict what type of team the Astros are going to be in 2025.

Despite losing some stars like Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, Houston still has a lot of talent on this roster and can compete in the American League West like they do on an annual basis.

While the lineup suffered two significant losses, they added some new faces who should be able to help. The signing of Christian Walker was overshadowed by what the Astros lost, but the veteran projects to be a massive upgrade at first base if he can stay healthy.

In addition to adding Walker, Houston received Isaac Paredes back from the Chicago Cubs in the Tucker trade. The infielder already has one All-Star nod under his belt and has a lot of upside.

Fortunately, he wasn’t the only talented hitter that came over in the blockbuster deal.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com recently spoke about the newest top prospect for the Astros having an impressive start to spring training.

“Smith, the Astros’ No. 1-ranked prospect and No. 59 overall, won’t make the Opening Day roster, but general manager Dana Brown could move him quickly through the system if he keeps hitting in the spring and beyond.”

While the sample size is small, it has been an impressive spring for Smith.

The young slugger is slashing .636/.733/.1.364 with two home runs and seven RBI in just six games.

Even though he is hitting the cover off the ball, this likely won’t change the plan for him to start the season in the minors.

In 2024, he played in just 32 games in the Cubs' pipeline after being their 2024 first-round pick.

There is still a lot of work to be done to help develop him, but this spring has been an encouraging sign of the type of player he might become.

With his size, Smith might be projected to be a pretty impressive power hitter going forward and the two home runs in six spring training games help highlight that.

In the minors last year, he slashed .313/.396/.609 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. The slugging percentage is really impressive, and it will be something to keep an eye on as he works his way through the Astros’ system.

While there was a lot of criticism about the Tucker trade, Smith developing into a great home run hitter could help end up making this deal be a good one for Houston.

At just 22 years old, the sky appears to be the limit for the talented third baseman based on his excellent start to the spring.

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