After right fielder Kyle Tucker left H-Town to be with the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season, the Houston Astros knew that their outfield was going to need a drastic improvement.
The premier bat and superb defense that “King Tuck” brought to the lineup left a massive hole upon his departure.
What the team and city likely didn’t anticipate is rookie outfielder Cam Smith to burst onto the scene like he has in 2025.
Smith was included in the trade between the Astros and Cubs that sent Tucker to the Windy City and was picked with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
After making Houston’s Opening Day lineup, Smith has been a surefire positive for the team, whether he’s in the outfield or at third base.
Through his first 82 professional games, Smith has posted a .277 batting average with seven home runs with 39 runs batted in.
And according to CBS Sports and their predictions for the second half of the 2025 season, they believe that the team will announce a contract extension for the rookie, calling Smith a “special player,” and if the team wants to anchor down their outfield for the next few seasons, it definitely won’t hurt them.
Assuming, of course, that Smith continues being the “special player” that he has been thus far.
