Insider Touts Houston Astros Prospect As Player Scouts Are Buzzing About

The Houston Astros knew they were getting a good prospect from the Chicago Cubs, but the early reviews on his spring training performance from rival evaluators are sparkling.

Feb 22, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros infielder Cam Smith (left) is congratulated by teammate Tommy Sacco Jr. (87) after scoring a run in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros made a difficult decision during the winter to ship their longtime franchise cornerstone Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

It is hard for a team to win a trade when they're the one that gives up the clear best player in the deal, but by getting the headlining piece in the return, prospect Cam Smith, the Astros seem to have a clear-cut gem on their hands.

Smith has gotten off to a scorching hot start in spring training.

In just seven at-bats, he has four hits, including two home runs to go with six RBI and four runs scored.

That includes a wildly impressive two homer day on Feb. 25 against the New York Mets.

Cam Smith, @MLBPipeline's No. 59 overall prospect, goes the other way for his first #SpringTraining home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/5sNQU849E2

— MLB (@MLB) February 25, 2025

Now, rival talent evaluators have taken notice of Houston's new top prospect.

Jeff Passan of ESPN (subscription required) broke down 10 players who have gotten scouts around the league buzzing with their performances in spring training, and it comes as no surprise that Smith made the list.

"It's not just the two home runs and a triple in seven at-bats thus far," Passan wrote. "Smith also has walked four times against one strikeout. Power is great. Good swing decisions are imperative. Both together is a rare combination."

Smith's path to playing time in the bigs this season is unclear, as the Astros also acquired a new starting third baseman in the Tucker trade, Isaac Paredes, who is a power-hitting righty with a swing built to produce at Daikin Park.

But even with Mauricio Dubon likely to fill the void, the move of Jose Altuve from second base to left field does create the possibility that Houston will have to find major innings in the infield elsewhere, and Passan did not rule out the possibility of Smith making an immediate impact for the Astros.

"The main return for Houston in the Kyle Tucker trade has taken advantage of the few at-bats he has gotten this spring and at least made the Astros consider breaking camp with Smith as their third baseman," he wrote. "And while the Astros' infield defense would be questionable with Smith at third and Isaac Paredes moving to second, it's going to happen at some point."

Reading that should excite any Astros fan since there has ben a lot of negativity surrounding this team, not only due to the departure of Tucker, but also those of third baseman Alex Bregman, starter Justin Verlander and reliever Ryan Pressly, all of whom spent years endearing themselves to the Houston faithful.

While the short-term future for the Astros may not be as rosy as fans have become accustomed to, pieces like Smith are on their way in a hurry to help Houston continue to compete for more championships.