Cam Smith has already done enough in Houston to make the label stick: he’s the Astros’ top player under 25.
That’s the view Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently laid out when he ranked each MLB team’s best players under 25, and it fits the reality of where the Astros are right now. Houston is still built around a veteran core, but that setup could start shifting soon, and Smith looks like one of the clearest young pieces the club has to work with.
The 22-year-old broke into the lineup in 2025 and quickly carved out a real role. He appeared in 134 games and hit .236/.312/.358 with nine home runs, 51 runs driven in, 21 doubles, three triples and 104 hits. The production wasn’t loud, but for a team looking for young outfield help, he gave Houston something it needed.
Smith then followed that with another season in 2026, and while the numbers moved backward in some spots, his value remained obvious. He hit .210/.279/.390 with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs.
His doubles fell to 17, down four from the year before, while his triples climbed to six. He also struck out 148 times, a number that stands out as an area he’ll need to clean up.
Reuter pointed to Smith’s heavy workload in right field and the uncertainty around his bat.
"With 139 starts in right field, Smith was the one constant in an otherwise unstable Houston outfield. His 88 OPS+ in 1,061 plate appearances over the last two seasons raises questions about whether he was rushed to the majors,'' wrote Reuter.
That question is part of the conversation, but Houston also has to weigh what Smith represents going forward. The Astros’ season ended in the American League wild-card round against the Chicago White Sox a couple of weeks ago, and then the club moved on from manager Joe Espada on Wednesday. With new decision-makers now facing an offseason full of questions, one of the biggest is how to find another veteran outfield bat.
Smith is already a key part of the lineup, and expecting a giant leap right away may be too much. Still, he’s close enough to one that if it comes, it could mean a lot for Houston.
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