Cam Smith’s hidden strength could fuel a Rookie of the Year run

Make no mistake, when Cam Smith made the Houston Astros' Opening Day roster, what was fueling his meteoric rise was his potent bat. Regarded as an impact hitter with immense raw power, Smith had been a third baseman all his life and a fringy one at that. Thus, it was a bit of a head-scratcher when the Astros decided to have him undergo a position switch on the fly, moving the rookie to right field mid-way through spring training.

While not a total shock, Smith initially struggled with the bat, hitting just .200/.280/.311 over his first 50 plate appearances, which ran from opening day through April 17. On April 18, he had a two home run outburst against the San Diego Padres, and has gone on to slash an improved .263/.346/.381 since that date.

Smith still has just three homers on the year, but his improvement since mid April shows that he's just finding his comfort zone and should only continue to trend upward as the season progresses. On the flip side, Smith has been an absolute stud in the field and his shockingly good performance might be the key driver to him taking home AL Rookie of the Year hardware this season.

Astros Cam Smith's shockingly good defense is leading the charge for his AL Rookie of the Year case

For a player who just started playing right field a couple of months ago, Smith passes the eye test, looking smooth roaming the grass and comfortable getting good jumps on the ball, taking the right routes in the process.

The metrics agree as well. Smith has posted an eye-popping seven defensive runs saved (DRS) over 400-plus innings of work in right. That mark puts him in a tie with San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. for second place among all MLB right fielders, just one off of leader Adolis Garcia.

By outs above average (OAA), Smith is in a tie for second with Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu with four. Both metrics don't always agree on defensive performance, but in this case, it's clear to see that Smith has been very solid, and potentially on a Gold Glove track in right field.

While this defensive development may seem surprising on the surface, perhaps this is simply the next evolution for Smith. A tremendous athlete, Smith may be flourishing simply because the outfield gives him the space to tap into his athletic gifts in a way the quick-twitch hot corner did not.

Whatever the case may be, Smith's ascending bat will help in the AL Rookie of the Year chase, but it's been his stellar defensive play that's the centerpiece of his candidacy. When and if it all comes together, the Astros will have a bona fide star on their hands, and the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year award might just be the first of many trophies in his trophy case.

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