HOUSTON -- Standing at the base of the Astros¡¯ dugout steps, Cam Smith, with his bat tucked under his left arm, took a few steps up, pulled on a bright orange batting glove and cracked a wide smile as he headed out for his first batting practice at Daikin Park on Monday afternoon.
It was the first time the Astros¡¯ No. 1 prospect stepped on the field in Houston, where he hopes to be Thursday as the starting right fielder on Opening Day.
¡°I¡¯m confident and I¡¯m ready,¡± Smith said prior to the Astros' exhibition game against Triple-A Sugar Land. ¡°That¡¯s really all I can say. I don¡¯t make the decision but I feel personally that I am ready. At the end of the day whatever happens, it¡¯s the right choice.¡±
Smith, an alum of MLB's Develops program, who played in the 2021 Hank Aaron Invitational, hit .342 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his first Spring Training with Houston.
But, with the palm tree background now just a mere memory of the last few weeks and the backdrop of a Major League stadium in clear focus, Astros manager Joe Espada was ready to see the final few roster spots fought for back home in Houston.
¡°I really want to see how they perform under these bright lights,¡± Espada said. ¡°This place is not going to be packed, but it matters how they go about their preparation during these elements.¡±
It didn¡¯t take long for Smith to give Espada something to take note of.
In his first at-bat in the Astros' 8-4 win over the Space Cowboys on Monday night, Smith lined an 81-mph curveball down the right-field line, which rolled into the corner. Smith barreled around second and slid into third with a two-run triple. He came to his feet and screamed in excitement towards the Astros' dugout.
¡°That¡¯s really deep down who I am as a player,¡± Smith said after the game. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to let out that roar. You get an extra-base hit, get the guys going. Every now and then I¡¯ll do that for sure.¡±
Espada added: ¡°We love that, the guys really enjoy the energy and the passion. We need some of that.¡±
In the fourth inning, Smith ended the frame with a running catch into the right-field wall, which he secured as he lost his hat, drawing cheers from the fans.
¡°Coming here today, this is an unreal park, I feel like there¡¯s no bad days in Daikin Park,¡± Smith said prior to the game. ¡°Probably one of the best stadiums MLB¡¯s got.¡±
Smith is trying to join an exclusive list as the player with the third-fewest Minor League games in Major League history to make a club¡¯s Opening Day roster. He has just 32 games with 115 at-bats in his pro career. His final five games of the 2024 season came with Double-A Knoxville in the Cubs' organization.
If the 14th overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft does make the Astros¡¯ roster coming out of camp, it will be 12 games faster than Texas Rangers DH/OF Wyatt Langford, who had 44 Minor League games before making the Opening Day roster last season. The two fastest trips to the Major Leagues are held by Pete Incaviglia (0 games -- 1986 Rangers) and John Olerud (6 games -- 1990 Blue Jays).
Despite being the center of focus for the past few weeks, Smith has settled into his new home over the past few months. Since being sent to the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, the 22-year-old has tried to be three things -- a sponge, even-keeled and grateful.
The latter are life-lessons learned from his mother.
¡°My mom did a great job of raising me and I give all the credit to her,¡± Smith said. ¡°She made me the even-keeled person I am and the grateful person I am. I¡¯m grateful for every opportunity. I love the people around me. I¡¯m doing what I love for fun. That¡¯s all I can ask for.¡±