Cam Smith showed he's ready for first Astros Opening Day in hilarious fashion

Cam Smith made his MLB debut in style on Thursday afternoon.

The 22-year-old, a 2024 first-round pick and the crown jewel of the Kyle Tucker trade, won the starting right-field gig out of spring training. He was slotted seventh in the Houston Astros lineup and it didn't take him long to get on the board.

In his first MLB at-bat, Smith took the first pitch the opposite way to right field for a base knock. One pitch, one hit. That's efficiency.

Smith looked the part in spring training and the early returns are immensely positive. It's what Smith did before the game, however, that really has fans buzzing. I'm convinced it's impossible to root against this kid.

He posted his Opening Day "routine" on Instagram, and folks, we are laughing.

Saratoga Water has taken on a new status in our viral world thanks to a series of, um, strange (?) videos from a fitness/business/I don't really know what influencer named Ashton Hall. Here's a taste for the uninitiated.

This is not the place to unpack the (very negative) cultural significance of whatever lifestyle this dude is attempting to perpetuate, but thankfully, most reasonable folks are lampooning him. It is very hard to take the video seriously. Smith is clearly up to date on what's happening in the social media realm, which is great! We talk about bringing baseball to youth culture; maybe Smith can help bridge that gap for folks.

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Cam Smith's Opening Day routine wins over Astros fans in record time

For those of us beta males who aren't dipping our faces in banana water at 4:25 a.m. every morning and drinking exclusively from $20 water bottles (I don't know how much a Saratoga water bottle actually costs), this trend is a bit difficult to wrap one's mind around. Thankfully, Smith has cut right to the comic essence of whatever is happening online nowadays and parlayed it into a very charming, very funny prelude to a successful MLB debut.

Again, Smith just has a star personality. We shall wait and see how his career turns out, but he does not seem phased by the immense pressure inherent to replacing Kyle Tucker, a World Series champ, in H-Town. He plays the right way and he's in it for the right reasons.

Here's the video of Smith learning he'd make the Opening Day roster, just because I want to watch it again. Really tugs at the heart strings. How can you not be romantic, etc., etc.

I am a fan. I know all of Houston is a fan. It's Opening Day, so maybe we should pump the breaks on the Cam Smith hype train, but also ... why not embrace it? MLB needs as much star power as it can get. If Smith can elevate the Astros' lineup and earn some social media brownie points in the process, we'd all be better for it.