Debating both sides of Astros' wild scheme to get Cam Smith on the Opening Day roster

By now, every Houston Astros fan has heard the name Cam Smith. One of three players Houston received from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade, Smith has been turning heads left and right at Astros spring training.

In fact, Smith is now considered in the running to secure a spot on the Astros Opening Day roster. As you might imagine, there are pluses and minuses that come with this idea. While Smith has excelled in the handful of Grapefruit League games he’s played this spring, is he ready for the big leagues?

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Smith’s inclusion on the Astros Opening Day roster with each of us taking opposite sides of the debate.

The pros and cons of Astros’ carrying Cam Smith in the outfield on Opening Day

Drew Koch: The notion of adding Smith to the roster itself isn’t necessarily the worst idea. He’s put up some terrific numbers this spring. But are the Astros seriously considering moving Smith to the outfield in order to get him into the everyday lineup? This is silly.

Eric Cole: I get the concern here, I really do. Smith has so little experience as a professional baseball player period and with no playing time in the outfield to speak of yet, there is a real chance this could backfire in spectacular fashion.

However, I am willing to trust Dana Brown and Co.if this is really the path they are choosing. This isn’t the Angels rushing every college draft pick they make because the big league roster is terrible. Houston generally takes their time with guys and won’t bring them up until they are ready. It feels aggressive because, well, it is. However, it may also be the move to field the best roster in 2025 and beyond especially if the Astros are right about Smith’s bat.

Drew: I get it. They’re missing Tucker and Alex Bregman, and outside of Jose Altuve, the outfielders set to take the field on Opening Day don't inspire much confidence. But Houston is already gambling by shoving Altuve out in left field. They now appear willing to take on another potential issue by shifting Smith’s focus to right field.

I know there’s a willingness among MLB GMs to be more aggressive with prospect promotions nowadays, but Smith has played just five games above High-A (and none in the outfield). Would it really be the worst thing in the world to send him to Triple-A Sugar Land for a month?

Eric: I think the Astros are in a situation where they need to take some chances. I know that Jake Meyers is great on defense and Chas McCormick had a good year in 2023, but that is not going to cut in the outfield unless you are a full-on apologist.

Moving Altuve to the outfield as well does add an element of risk, but that risk is mitigated by Altuve’s experience and the fact that he is headed for left field where lots of teams hide less than stellar defenders. Defensively, Houston is probably better off doing that than leaving Altuve at second base to post another -9 Outs Above Average season.

Would it be the worst thing to give Smith more playing time in the minors? Not at all! However, I also don’t think giving Smith a shot this year (if he wins the job) is uniquely terrible, either. If he struggles, you can always send him down to the minors again in a month and bring him up in 2026 like everyone expected from the beginning. This is a college bat that no one can seem to get out. He may just be that guy and if that is the case, you want to take advantage of that as much as possible.

Drew: Spring training decisions like this should be reserved for veteran non-roster invites who’ve proven their worth or budding prospects with a little wear on the tires. Rushing a prospect to the big leagues because Brown did a poor job of upgrading the outfield seems unwise.

And another thing, why did Houston wait so long to move Smith to the outfield. The decision to shift Altuve to left field was made before spring training. This just seems like a situation where Smith is enjoying some early-spring success and because no one else has stepped up, the Astros are forcing a square peg into a round hole. It’s just poor roster management.

Eric: The playing time in the outfield thing is certainly weird and a fair criticism. However, I’m not sure you can say the Astros didn’t do enough to improve the outfield this offseason AND say Cam Smith, an offseason pick-up, shouldn’t be in the outfield as a solution. I clearly was not in the front office when the Kyle Tucker trade was going down, but it does seem like Houston put some previous thought into this little experiment before spring got started.

I don’t see this as a square peg in a round hole problem. There were already some concerns that Smith might not be a third baseman long-term before he ever got to Houston. The Astros need offensive production from their outfield and the current group is going to struggle to provide it.

Why not give Smith a chance to prove the doubters wrong, especially now that he has played really well? If this was a player who was in high school a year ago, I would be more concerned about setting his development back. This is a college draftee who was probably going to be in Triple-A to start the season anyway. If it doesn’t work out, he can go back down and get to work.

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