Astros Boss Talks Cam Smith's Swing Improvements after Huge Home Run

The second year outfielder is looking to bounce back after a rough second half in 2025.

Sep 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) reacts after the final out against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have a lot of belief and faith in Cam Smith. A 2024 first round pick by the Chicago Cubs, he was the centerpiece of the Astros return in the Kyle Tucker trade. A promising young outfielder with all the tools a team could want, Smith wasted no time getting to the big leagues.

Smith only played in 32 minor league games with the Cubs in 2024 before making the opening day roster for Houston in 2025. The 23-year-old his .313 with a 1.004 OPS during his short stint in the minors and after hitting four home runs in 15 spring games, the Astros felt he earned the right to be on the roster.

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He hit .277 with a .765 OPS and seven home runs in 82 first half games and it looked like he could be in the running for Rookie of the Year. Then, it came tumbling down in the second half, when he hit .154 with a .489 OPS in 52 games and even lost playing time.

Smith had an unorthodox rise to the majors and really hasn't played a lot of baseball in his career, only appearing in 283 games between college, the minors and Majors. But that talent is still in there, he just needs to make the proper adjustments and it seems like he has been so far this spring.

Espada Shares What Smith is Doing Well

Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Smith has been swinging the bat well heading into his second season. In eight spring games, he has two doubles and is hitting .278 with a .965 OPS. On Sunday, he hit his first homer of spring.

It was a mammoth home run and led to manager Joe Espada speaking about Smith's swing so far.

"I like the fact that he pulled it, too. Getting the barrel out, getting himself in a good posture, good position to pull the ball," the skipper said, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Last season, Smith didn't pull the ball in the air much. According to Baseball Savant, the outfielder pulled the ball in the air just 13.1 percent of the time, while he hit it to the oppposite in the air 22.9 percent of the time.

Smith has terrific raw power, but being able to pull the ball more may allow him to tap into that in games. Especially when playing at home with the Crawford Boxes.

"Just good at-bats, he's starting to find barrels and starting to swing the bat at the right time," Espada continued.

Smith's average exit velocity was just 87.9 mph last season and barreling the ball up more will help him further access that power.

Smith is still extremely young, both in age and in terms of his baseball experience. The physical tools will continue to be there, now it's time for him to before a more improved hitter and give better at-bats rather than try to beat everyone with his given abilities. If he does that, he could have a huge breakout in 2026.