Astros: WATCH: Astros no. 1 prospect Cam Smith breaks down in tears after making Opening Day roster

WATCH: Astros no. 1 prospect Cam Smith breaks down in tears after making Opening Day roster

Modified Mar 26, 2025 03:11 GMT

MLB: Spring Training-Houston Astros at New York Mets - Source: Imagn

Houston Astros prospect Cam Smith was recently named to the team's Opening Day roster for 2025. The moment was made extra special for the youngster as the team invited his family to the clubhouse to personally tell him about the exciting news.

Smith was selected as the 14th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. After spending half a season progressing from Single-A Myrtle Beach to Double-A Tennessee, he was sent to Houston along with Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski in the deal for Kyle Tucker.

In a video that was shared by the team, manager Joe Espada was seen giving a speech to the clubhouse about family. The skipper said the value of sharing important moments in one's life with family—especially one's parents. He then made a phone call to Smith's parents who entered the Astros' clubhouse.

Cam Smith, who was already breaking down in tears, stood up as his parents was approaching with the latter telling him that he has made the cut for the Houston's Opening Day roster. The rookie then expressed his gratitude and shook hands with Espada.

Astros rookie Cam Smith joins elite company

After being named to the Astros' Opening Day roster, rookie Cam Smith has now joined elite company. Smith just played 32 minor league games after being drafted by the Cubs last year.

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"After just 32 games in the Minors, Houston's No. 1 prospect has reached the bigs. His jump from the '24 Draft to Opening Day roster is among the quickest in baseball history" - @ MLB Pipeline

The rookie had a blazing start in the Cubs' Single-A affiliate as he recorded a home run in six consecutive games. He ended his minor league tenure with a .313/.396/.609 slash with seven homers in 32 games.

In the process, Smith became the third-fastest player to ascend to the majors, with the fastest being Pete Incaviglia in 1986 and the runner-up being Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer John Olerud in 1990.

As for Smith, he becomes just the third-ever player after Paul Molitor and Mark Teixeira to switch positions and make the cut for Opening Day as the Astros have deployed him in the outfield rather than his customary third baseman role.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra