Has Brown said these types of things about anybody else other than our proven stars including the guys he's drafted. He obviously thinks Cam is special. If you watch Cam's at-bats, it's not like he's just getting lucky by swinging for the fences. He's hunting for particular pitches just Alvarez does. Granted in the big leagues. he will see less of those pitches and he will see pitches that will tunnel like those pitches like crazy split fingers and nasty sliders that end up off the plate, but it's Cam's approach that impresses me. He's forcing pitchers to throw great pitches.
A few years ago Dana Brown said he hoped/expected Drew Gilbert to win the CF job in ST. Brown talks out of his ass. That’s not to take away from Smith as I agree with everything you said about him, but Brown’s quotes are not evidence of anything.
I agree with you, but I do think he could use more minor league reps to work on his defense, be it at 3B or RF. I say start him at AAA, but do it Yordan style.. you KNOW he's coming up soon and Chas should be sweating his ass off right now.
Still hasn't played any RF in a ST game. Today was at DH (0-3, 2k). I don't think he's starting in right field in Houston in a couple weeks. Maybe RF in Sugarland.
He's cooled off a lot. Still super impressive prospect, but I think the combination of never playing his 'best fit' position (RF), essentially zero at bats against AAA/MLB pitching, and service time will keep him down for at least a few months.
Probably. I think andrew is wrong and he starts in AAA. I’d call him up June 30 if he’s doing well like correa and Yordan so that he isn’t super 2.
Prior two games were two weak singles. I don’t remember how many at bats but at least 3 per, so 2-9 and one walk is .222/.300/.222. I may be off by an at bat, but close enough. He’s had an awesome spring, and he’s a great prospect … but he has cooled off.
Dana Brown has a little bit of a tell - he will usually smile every so slightly before he says something that is going out on a limb, but not always. The only thing we can count on is that Brown is bright - and everything that comes out of his mouth to the media has a purpose and reason. For example on Gilbert, he already decided that he wasn't a future CF and did not have the other tools to likely make a large difference as a corner bat - so why not pump him up, there is no downside.
First ST game in RF. Played 5 innings, doesn't look like he had any chances. Glad they actually put him out there, it's a start.
I've been going through his at-bats on gameday and it looks like he seldom swings at bad pitches out of the zone. It's consistent with what Espada said. He recognizes pitches early and doesn't bother with anything he doesn't have a good chance of getting a bat on. It's almost Bregman level zone recognition. Bregman also choked up on his bat so he could fight pitches off which extended at bats where as Smith just doesn't even bother swinging like Alvarez.
I'd like to see him face some actual MLB pitchers soon. He's kicked the hell out of the ST minor league guys.
Agreed, he looked great facing AA competition in spring training, but ML Level pitching is a different world...............I say, let the kid learn and get some time in AAA and see how he does, let's not ruin his confidence and put too much pressure on him
I think his readiness and the additional draft pick needs to be a big thing. Realistically, how much better does Smith project to be than Dezenzo in 2025? How many more wins does it equate to? I would play him in AAA until mid August or whenever the cutoff is to keep him eligible for 2026. He gets 3/4 of a season of advanced minor league play under his belt before making MLB debut, then a heavy cup of coffee in MLB. Then he enters 2026 prepared to be an impact player and is controlled through 2031 instead of 2030. And the Astros are much more likely to get the extra draft pick in the 31-40 range.
