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The Houston Astros fanbase was growing restless. Were they ever going to see Cam Smith make some type of impact at the big-league level? After all, he was talk of Astros spring training, wasn't he?
As it turns out, good things come to those who wait. While it did take Smith seven games and more than 20 plate appearances, the first-year Astros' outfielder finally recorded his first RBI of the season — and it was a big one.
During the top of the seventh inning in a 0-0 tie against the Seattle Mariners, Smith laced a sharply hit ground ball past the diving third baseman and into the outfield corner. Smith's base hit scored Yainer Diaz from second base to put the Astros up 1-0 while the 22-year-old sped around the bases, finally ending at third base with a RBI triple.
Cam Smith's RBI triple put the Astros on the board vs. the Mariners
The Astros, as a whole, have struggled to score runs this season. Who would've guessed that losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker would impact the Astros so much? All joking aside, Houston needed that key knock from Smith, and the obvious hope is that it opens the floodgates and provides a measure of confidence that he's been lacking since his first hit on Opening Day.
Two big league firsts -- triple and RBI -- in one swing for Cam Smith!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 9, 2025
His 11.53 seconds home-to-third time marks the fastest on an @astros three-bagger since Sept. 2022: pic.twitter.com/OWAy45Pzgf
Smith made the Astros Opening roster after crushing the ball during spring training. He was hitting .342/.419/.711 during the Grapefruit League, and used that performance to catapult himself into the Astros lineup. But Smith's RBI triple was just his third hit of the season. He's now 3-for-21 with 10 strikeouts and a woeful .488 OPS.
Teams never quite know what to expect with rookies. The big leagues is a lot different than anything these young players will see during their time in the minor leagues and spring training. Those concerns a doubly true when it comes to Smith due to his inexperience at virtually every level. Houston promoted Smith to the major league roster having barely played 30 games in the minor leagues.
Joe Espada has been bullish on Smith since Houston added him to the 26-man roster, so even another dry spell is unlikely to see him sent back to the minors especially given the team's other outfield options right now. The Astros are hoping that Smith's first big hit is a sign of things to come, and that the game finally starts to slow down for the rookie.