NTTAWWT
He certainly looks the part. Hard to remember it’s just spring training
Cam Smith 3 hits in 4 ABs tonight. So far this Spring, BA .636 OPS 2.097
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Hard to believe the Astros would put Cam on the team opening day. If they wait until later in the year, they get another year of arbitration control if I’m not mistaken. If he keeps raking in the minors, it’s going to be hard to keep him down there. Kyle Tucker is 0-14 in spring training by the way.
Always a consideration, but the new PPI (prospect promotion incentive) system blunts that advantage for the team somewhat—by putting him on the OD roster, they stand to win a very valuable draft pick if he places high enough in awards voting. Several teams have recently carried top prospects straight out of ST as a result of the PPI rules (Mariners with Julio Rodriguez I think, Rangers with Wyatt Langford, etc.).
Plus the Astros are in win-now mode and, imo, aren’t good enough not to carry the best 26 guys from day one.
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Also part of that is if they wait, and he finishes high enough in rookie of the year, he’ll be awarded a full year anyway
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Ah yeah, forgot about that. Huge part of the calculus.
Yep, if you think he has a good shot at top 5? Or is it 3? I forget. You might as well start with him on the roster
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Walkers injury might force their hand too
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Remember the Spring the Rodeo Cowboy had that one year? The last thing you want to do is rush Cam Smith based on ST. He needs some AAA at bats, even if it’s10 games. The second to last thing you want is to have him waste his talent at the AAA level if he is MLB ready
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Hell I remember Tyler White being Barry Bonds for a week to start the season in what was that 2016? 18?
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Yes, far from a sure thing that he’s one of the best 26 to start the season.
It’s just really cool that it’s even a conversation.
Apparently part of David Stearns’ philosophy (current Mets GM, former Brewers GM, former Astros front office staff) is to speed prospects through the minors if possible to permit them to fail and adjust. Probably not as unique a notion as it seemed to me at the time but I thought that was interesting.
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Jeff Passan had an article (subscriber wall) this morning that put Smith in the 10 breakout players from Spring Training, with scouts saying that while the infield defense with Smith at 3b and Parades at 2b would be pretty questionable, “it’s going to happen at some point.”
In other words, he still has one lung.
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Look at Jake going 2-2 with a SB. If that dude could just give the team slightly below avg offense what a win that would be.
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Yeah, and if I were handsome and talented, I’d be a movie star.
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Hey, don’t sell yourself short. John Leguizamo still gets parts.
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I was gonna say Pete Davidson, who is not handsome, talented, or funny in any way. Not even a tiny bit. Yet he still manages to bang hot chicks.
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