Every spring, there is one player that takes MLB by storm as they try to make the Opening Day roster. They pay so well, that they give the team no choice but to include them on the roster for the very first day of the regular-season. This year, that player taking the league by storm is Cam Smith of the Houston Astros.
Smith arrived in Houston this offseason in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in his walk year. After a strong spring in which he recorded a .342 batting average, a 1.130 OPS, four home runs, 11 RBI, and 13 hits in 15 games, Smith made the Opening Day roster. The announcement came from manager Joe Espada, with the help of Smith's family in an emotional moment.
The Astros are doing something they haven't done with their previous top prospects — calling them up immediately.
Astros buck trend and promote Cam Smith for Opening Day
Many MLB teams in the past have prevented the promotion of top prospects for Opening Day, due in part to service time manipulation. In the past, teams have ensured that top prospects aren't on the major league roster for a total of 172 days. If they are, they are credited for a full year of service time. Anything less than 172 days, the player does not accrue a year of service time. All players must hit six years of service time before officially hitting free agency.
In the past, the Astros may not have been thinking about service time specifically, but some of their stars were not Opening Day roster call-ups. Instead, they were mid-season promotions. Tucker was called up in July of 2018. Alex Bregman received major league promotion in July of 2016. Carlos Correa didn't get called up until June of 2015. All of those stars weren't on the Opening Day roster.
But that's not to say what the Astros are doing isn't a gamble. The Astros obviously believe in what they've seen from Smith this spring. After all, he is the No. 58 overall prospect in all of baseball (per MLB Pipeline). Sure it may not pan out, but that's a risk you take. If you believe in the player, you play them. It's as simple as that. It makes more sense, especially when the Astros are entering a season without Bregman and Tucker. Plus, it gives Astros fans someone to be excited about.
Let's see if Smith is the latest young player to find success and be elevated into superstardom in Houston.