It is a new era for the Houston Astros. They are at least doing it right, as their new City Connect jerseys are absolutely amazing. But after trading away key pieces in Ryan Pressley and Kyle Tucker to the Cubs and seeing longtime third baseman Alex Bregman ship up to Boston, it’s time for new faces to emerge and shape their franchise.

Jose Altuve is still in the fold as well as Yordan Alvarez, but this team needs an injection of youth as well. One player that should without a doubt make this roster is prospect Cam Smith.

Cam Smith Should Make the Opening Day Roster

The team may have parted ways with Kyle Tucker, but what they did land was prospect Cam Smith. The Florida State standout joins the Astros and has the opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. As it currently stands, Smith is still in consideration so there is still a good chance he does. He brings all the tools that this club should want and his showing in Spring Training really warrants that look.

It’s quite impressive what he’s been able to do in Spring Training. This is a player that legitimately has not played a single game at the Triple-A level and looks comfortable at the plate. Kind of reminds me of Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox), who also has yet to play in Triple-A and looks very comfortable facing big league pitching. But Smith has been everything as advertised when he was the centerpiece of the big trade.

Smith is 13-for-35, has four home runs and 11 RBI’s. Furthermore, he is hitting .371 and with a 1.221 OPS. His slugging his way up and he is consistently getting on base. Yes, it is only spring training, but what he is doing should not be overlooked. Astros beat reporter Chandler Rome spoke highly about Smith and what he could be to the Astros moving forward.

He has described him as “built like a transformer” and can be the next 60 home run guy. Considering they lost Tucker, who hit 112 HR the last four seasons and Bregman who’s hit 20+ home runs the last three seasons. Smith can bring power to his bat and would be a welcomed addition to the lineup. But where do you play him?

So, his minor league stint with the Cubs, Smith played third base. Well, the club addressed that with the addition of Isaac Paredes. So the likelihood of him playing there to start is slim. However, there is the likelihood of him moving to the outfield, which not only increases his versatility, but also gets him into the fold and has his bat in the lineup.

The Astros outfield is the biggest question mark. Altuve will slot to the left field position and make that transition and Jake Meyers is projected to play center field. One area he is projected to slot in according to Fangraphs is right field. He is right behind Chas McCormick, who there is a case to be made here. McCormick had a career best year in 2023, but took a step down in 2024. His spring training is much to be desired, as he is hitting .161 with a .699 OPS. Nice thing, he has a strong walk rate. But if you are the Astros, you got to find a way to incorporate him into the lineup.

Even then, McCormick can shift to center field and allow Smith to play. The upside to Smith is far greater than one of McCormick or Meyers.

It is a new era for the Astros and there’s no reason they shouldn’t play their prized prospect and he should make the opening day roster.