The Houston Astros are atop the AL West and close behind the Detroit Tigers for the top spot in the American League overall. Before the season, the Astros were predicted by Fangraphs to have a 52.3 percent chance of making the postseason and a 28.6 percent chance of winning the division.
But the Astros have far surpassed those numbers, and are now at 96.6 percent to make the postseason and 83 percent to win the division. A huge reason why the Astros have turned things around so drastically is thanks to the breakout rookie campaign of Cam Smith.
In a piece from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, several of Smith’s Astros teammates shared their thoughts on the rookie’s breakout season. While Jose Altuve praised his work ethic and Joe Espada had glowing remarks, the comment from Mauricio Dubon stands out as the most impactful.
“He hasn’t figured it out yet,” Dubon said. It’s just raw talent taking over. When he figures it out, he’s probably going to be one of the best players in the game.”
What makes this comment from Dubon so shocking is how great he’s played this season. Dubon sees Smith as someone who isn’t settled into the game yet. That makes his production this season seem all the more impressive.
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So far through 78 games as a rookie, Smith has 80 hits, 38 runs scored, 16 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, four stolen bases, 23 walks, and 84 strikeouts. He’s hitting .287 with a .350 on-base percentage and a .434 slugging percentage.
If Smith is performing this well, and he still hasn’t figured things out, then the Astros’ right fielder might become one of the best players, like Dubon believes he can be.
Smith’s .783 OPS and 118 OPS+ a great numbers for a rookie, and at just 22 years old, if he continues to get better, he could become someone on par with Kyle Tucker, the player he was traded for.
So far in his rookie season, Smith has been impressive. But the comments from Dubon in Rosenthal’s piece point to an even better player lying in wait. If Houston can get the best out of Smith, then they might’ve found a new face of their franchise.
The Astros’ rookie has been making a strong case for AL Rookie of the Year, and if he continues to develop further as Dubon believes he could, he could be making a run for MVP at some point in his career.
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