In the wake of the Kyle Tucker trade, many Houston Astros fans were understandably upset. Most of that anger was simply because Tucker is a great player and fans were not happy to lose him, especially with Alex Bregman’s departure already looking exceedingly likely. However, some fans simply thought that the Astros should have gotten more for Tucker.
That idea was always a bit misguided, although the high expectations were understandable. The initial rumors around a Tucker trade with the Cubs included both Isaac Paredes AND Seiya Suzuki, which would have been amazing, but also would be a pretty insane package for one year of control of Tucker, as good as he is.
Moreover, those that were/are upset about Houston’s return in the trade simply don’t know enough about new top prospect Cam Smith and what he brings to the table.
Hey, @astros fans, did you know Cam Smith homered in SIX STRAIGHT GAMES?
How’s that to start your pro career 😏 pic.twitter.com/2CfuNmCvVa
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) December 13, 2024
New Astros top prospect Cam Smith is a tremendous guy to dream on
The 14th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Smith didn’t get the press that the guys at the top of the draft did, and he only has 32 games as a pro to go on so far. A star at Florida State before he was drafted, Smith built a strong reputation as a college hitter after making a change to his stance after his freshman year, but often got overlooked due to the existence of guys like Travis Bazzana and Charlie Condon in his draft class.
However, Smith has really strong bat-to-ball skills, hits the crap out of the ball, and has a strong arm that profiles well at third base (where he could be the eventual heir to Alex Bregman) or in right field. He does need to hit the ball in the air more, but the Astros are uniquely good at getting their prospects to make adjustments to get to their carrying tools. In his 32 games during his pro debut season, Smith slashed .313/.396/.609 and made it all the way to Double-A before the 2024 season ended. Not bad for a guy that had 13 guys picked ahead of him.
Despite his quick ascent through the minors in his first year as a pro, expecting Smith to join the Astros in the big leagues in 2025 is a stretch. He is still a prospect with just 32 games against professional pitchers, after all. However, his all-around skillset and ceiling, combined with what he did to start his career, suggests that Houston fans may be feeling pretty good about the Tucker trade pretty early on in the 2025 season if he even approaches his capabilities in the minors.
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