Trade Acquisition Cam Smith Brings Excitement To Astros Following


Exactly one month after he was acquired from the Cubs, 22-year-old third baseman Cam Smith made a good impression on the Astros when he reported to West Palm Beach, Fla., for an early minicamp with his new organization.
He was one of 50 minor leaguers—and the top prospect—present.
“He showed up ready to work, and that’s exciting to see,” Astros senior director of player development Jacob Buffa said.
The Astros were excited to add Smith to their system after acquiring him along with all-star third baseman Isaac Paredes in the Kyle Tucker trade. The Cubs drafted Smith 14th overall out of Florida State.
Smith signed early enough to play 32 games in his pro debut, reaching Double-A Tennessee for a week. At three minor league levels, he hit .313/.396/.609 with seven home runs in 32 games.
“From a performance standpoint, the thing that jumps out about Smith is the combination of contact and power,” Buffa said. “There’s not that many young athletes who can hit the ball as hard as he does and as often as he does.
“I do think, in speaking with him, the one thing that stands out is that there just seems to be a plus-plus makeup from this kid. He’s already willing to do anything that we ask.”
Astros GM Dana Brown, who made his name in amateur scouting, saw Smith play last year at FSU.
“Cam Smith is an impact bat with power,” Brown said.
Brown says the Astros will likely play Smith at third base, first base and right field this season.
“If his bat comes really quickly, we’ll move him quickly,” Brown said. “Whichever position he’s playing the best, we’ll probably put him at that position as he moves up . . . He played some third base at Double-A, and so he had a pretty good pro debut, as you can probably see (from) the stats.
“He was really highly touted in college . . . It’s a really good first-round college bat with power with a chance to hit. He’s pretty athletic as well. We’re really excited about Cam Smith.”