Cam Smith is going to be a very good hitter for a long time, but he only has 50 career at bats in AA. He also needs to work on his defense, both at third base and right field. The odds of him starting the year in Houston are still low, even with his great start in Spring Training.
Cam Smith hitting talent really is so obvious, I know it’s a small sample size but he looks as natural of a hitter as they come.
Three more hits…. Still working the count, going to multiple fields and only swinging at pitches in the zone. I don’t know…
Unusually disciplined and a sweet swing. Given your experience @Nook what are the chances he starts in AA, AAA or Astros? I know injuries could play a factor, but Cam's offense looks ready. Not sure about his defense.
It’ll be interesting to see, especially with such a small sample size thus far(not only with the Astros- but in Pro ball period)- but Smith does not seem to have a big hole in his swing or a major deficiency at the plate. Pitch identification and pitch selection have looked flat out amazing in limited AB’s. His size and stance allow him to maximize plate coverage to where he can extend his hands out over the plate and drive the ball the opposite way. I’ll be interested to see how he adjusts when pitchers start trying to jam him inside more. I get that we’ve seen guys come up and have awesome Springs before… but it’s hard to find a guy have a full major league spring training like this who was just playing college ball less than 9 months ago.
I think Cam could play right field defense fairly early this season. His defense at third base is questionable and I think he is a season away from playing there.
It is so hard to say. On one hand, Dana Brown doesn't care if a player is 12 years old or 30 years old, if he thinks he is ready then he is moving them up aggressively. On the other hand, Smith literally has like 3 weeks of at bats above A ball. I do think that because of his age - he played college ball, his success last year and his continued success this Spring that if he doesn't make the team, he is literally a month of .900 OPS in AAA from making the team. Defensively - he is a good athlete. He is a little long, but he has solid speed and has a VERY strong arm. I did hear someone say that some of the coaches think that he can become a Gold Glove right fielder if he is put there and stays there. His arm is supposed to be special - compared to Larry Walker's arm. I trust Brown when it comes to player evaluations and knowing when a player is ready. Also there are no red flags off the field. He was a big prospect in High School but he did face some adversity at the end of his prep and college career and in both cases made the necessary adjustments. Again - it seemed absurd that Smith would make the team a month ago, but I think he has a real chance.
He reminds me some of Derek Lee and Cliff Floyd as far as talent at this point in his development. Floyd got hurt so that limited his career and Lee ended up starting slow but at his peak played at an elite level. The name I heard from the Astros was Larry Walker from a skills perspective. I can kind of see that, they both have very strong arms - both have power but also a simple approach to hitting and both were not burners but were really underrated athletes with core strength.
Yeah - he is literally doing everything you want to see from a hitting perspective that shows it isn't just a hot streak. Simple mechanics, swings within the zone and doesn't miss a lot, can drive balls without a lot of exertion, can go opposite field, isn't too aggressive, works counts and has an advances understanding of the zone and very seldom looks bad on a swing. There just doesn't appear to be a lot of struggle there. I remember seeing Yordan for the first time, he was actually overweight at the time and even he had some questions. There was a question about the bat speed with him as he moved up the ladder (once he lost weight the bat speed improved). Not saying Smith will be Yordan but it is pretty amazing that Smith struggled to end high school, then struggled to start college...... then shortened his swing and cruised in college and tore up the minors and this Spring. Essentially since his swing was simplified, and he stopped trying to swing like Cecil Fielder, he has become a complete and disciplined hitter.
Larry Walker seems like a pretty good comparison for Smith’s ultimate ceiling. Same body type, same tool ratings. Man that would be super sweet if Houston traded 1 year of Kyle Tucker for 6-7 years of Larry f’n Walker and 3 years of Isaac Paredes.
Given that the Astros were set to break camp with what would be a replacement-level RF (Chas, one of the Mel-fielders, Dubon), Cam Smith might have the inside track if he keeps barreling up the ball. Having said that ... Looking at the ST box scores, we are still at the point where AAA/AAAA pitchers are throwing most of the innings. Even the MLB pitchers are still getting into shape and will miss middle middle enough to make a patient hitter look like the second coming of Babe Ruth.
