With Houston Astros Opening Day just a week away, the Astros have a tough decision to make on what to do with their top prospect, Cam Smith. Smith was the key part of the trade with the Chicago Cubs for Kyle Tucker.
Speaking on Astroline on Thursday night from West Palm Beach, General Manager Dana Brown gushed over his top prospect.
"Cam Smith is a special human being. He has the great combination of humility and confidence," said Brown. "We have some tough decisions to make. But make no mistake, he's pretty special."
Smith is currently batting .419 in Spring Training action, with 13 hits, 4 homeruns and 11 RBI, to go with a .500 OBP and a 1.371 OPS.
"I've been in baseball for 35 years. Very rare(ly) do you get this type of player that comes along and you feel like he may be a fit," said Brown. "We're making some tough decisions. We want to put our best team forward. We're having these conversations about Cam Smith. We think he's really good, and we think he has really good upside."
The Astros have even shifted the third base prospect to right field in recent games, to get a feel for that position as it's one that he could see at the major league level, with Isaac Paredes projected to lock down third base. But will he make the Opening Day roster, or should the Astros send him to the minors to see more competitive pitching before making the jump to the bigs?
"We have to make a decision - are we going to start him in the major leagues or is he going to the minor leagues," queried Brown. "I'm just telling you right now - I love the way this guy swings the bat. He has really good at-bats, he sees a lot of pitches. He's well advanced. He's making it really tough for us."
At just 22 years old, Smith could certainly benefit from more time in the minors, having played in just 32 minor league games last season with the Cubs organization. But if he looks ready to help the big league club NOW, then why wait, other than protecting future service time.
"Make no mistake, I'm not afraid to put this guy in the big leagues. We're having these discussions right now," said Brown. "This guy is really good."