Can Astros Slugger Cam Smith Live Up To His First Round Potential?

Cam Smith has struggled with the bat but been solid with the glove in two seasons in Houston.

Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith (11) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cam Smith will be entering his third season with the Astros in 2027. His offensive numbers haven’t quite been up to the Astros standard but he’s been a valuable asset in right field.

Dealt to Astros

Offensive Output

Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith (11) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After coming over to the Astros in the 2024-25 offseason, Smith was unexpectedly put on the 26-man roster to begin the 2025 season. Since then, he has a .670 OPS in 291 major league games.  He’s hit .222  in his time with the Astros. This year he took a dip in batting average from .236 to .210 but he increased his power from nine home runs to 21.

The Astros outfielder struggled in 2026 with the second worst OPS in baseball.  If he can put his batting average of 2025 with his power of 2026, he can be in for a valuable season. While still on his pre-arbitration million-dollar deal, he posted a 2.0 bWAR in 2025 but came back down with a 1.0 bWAR in 2026.

Gold Glove Caliber Defense

Smith  was a finalist for the gold glove for right field in each of his two seasons (the 2026 winner will be announced on Nov.1). Smith is a menace in right with great range taking away hits from unsuspecting hitters.

His defensive metrics are less glowing than they were a year before with just 0.1 dWAR compared to 0.9 dWAR in 2025. He posted five defensive runs saved in the outfield (four in right and one in center) compared to 12 last year. He registered a .981 fielding percentage down from .992 the year prior.

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith’s outs above average improved from one to six and his fielding run value came in at positive three which is calculated by a -3.0 arm value and a 6.0 range value. His outfield assists increased from six to an impressive eight. Smith led the league in put outs as a right fielder with 294 highlighting his range in 2026. He led all American Leaguers in games played in the outfield with 157 as well.

Season three for Smith seems like a key inflection point in the young outfielder’s career. The Astros will be expecting his OPS to increase and for him to continue his roles as everyday right fielder in his age 24 season. Despite underwhelming offensive numbers in his first two seasons, his minor league and college numbers show a player more than capable of posting a great offensive season.