3 biggest challengers to Astros' Cam Smith's pursuit of 2025 AL Rookie of the Year

Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith is freshly 22 years old and only 19 games into his big league career, but it's hard not to look at him and see Rookie of the Year potential. His rapid ascent from low-minors to the big leagues is a thing of beauty, and it's only a matter of time before he finds his footing and never turns back.

Since the moment he turned pro (and all throughout his collegiate days, really), all Smith has done is rake. He hit .313 with a 1.004 in just 32 minor-league games last year, but his advanced approach saw him spend time at three different levels across about a month's worth of games. From the beginning, it's been clear that he's ready for a look in The Show.

The Astros acquired Smith from the Cubs in the huge Kyle Tucker trade from this past offseason and they're having him develop at the game's highest level. He's got a .708 OPS through his first 19 games with three home runs and 10 RBI, which is not bad for a player facing this level of competition for the first time ever. He's also taken to right field flawlessly, which deserves praise in itself.

By season's end, it's highly likely that Smith will be one of the frontrunners for AL Rookie of the Year, especially once he starts to get hot like we all know he will. However, he's going to have some stiff competition. Let's check out some of the biggest roadblocks he'll have in his way for the hardware.

3 biggest challengers to Cam Smith's pursuit of AL Rookie of the Year

Kristian Campbell

Another 22-year-old to know is Kristian Campbell, whom the Red Sox locked up long-term when he was just five games into his big league career. He's got a ton of raw and gap power, speed to get around the bases, patience at the plate, and defensive versatility to bounce around all over the diamond. Point being, he's likely Smith's biggest hurdle to winning the ROTY.

After hitting .330 with a .997 OPS, 20 home runs, and 74 RBI in 115 games last year, Campbell earned a spot on the Red Sox Opening Day roster and has already been making good on the team's investment in him.

Through the first 23 games of his big league career, Campbell's already hit three home runs while driving in eight. He's continued to show an impressive sense of patience at the plate, walking over 15% percent of the time, and his .300 average and 154 wRC+ both put him well above-average at the dish.

Jackson Jobe

At one point, Jackson Jobe was considered one of the very best pitching prospects in all of baseball. The right-hander was the Detroit Tigers' first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and utterly dominated every single level on his way up the Tigers' minor league ladder.

The industry got its first look at Jobe last year as a relief pitcher and he promptly made four scoreless outings. Of course, this left everyone wanting more, and he's opened the 2025 campaign in the Tigers' rotation and looked outstanding in the process.

In his season debut, Jobe surrendered three earned runs on as many hits across just four innings of work. Since then, he's thrown 16 innings and allowed just three earned runs combined. All told, the young hurler sports a 2.70 ERA through four starts and 20 innings. He's working through a drop-off in strikeouts and a slight increase in walks, but the run-prevention is still there.

Jacob Wilson

Then there's Jacob Wilson, who's going to avoid the national spotlight since he plays for the Athletics, He's a contact-oriented middle infielder who has an otherworldly eye at the plate and brings a peskiness to him that isn't seen often in today's game.

To open his career, Wilson's hitting .293 with a 109 OPS+ in 51 games. He's struck out just 14 times and walked nine times across 181 at-bats, which feels almost Luis Arraez-like. Wilson is more of a well-rounded player than Arraez though, as he plays a premier position in shortstop to Arraez's first and second base.

There are few players in the league who make more contact than Wilson does, and he does an excellent job at recognizing bad pitchers versus hittable ones when he's up at the plate. To open the new year, he's carrying a solid .337 batting average with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI.

Again, Wilson is going to stay out of the limelight for the most part, as he calls a rebuilding team home; but his name is not going to remain unknown for much longer.

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