Rising star baseball Cam Smith is officially in the big leagues.
According to ESPN, the 22-year-old, whom the Houston Astros brought on as part of Kyle Tucker’s offseason trade with the Chicago Cubs, made the Opening Day roster for the Texas team.
He had an emotional response after learning he’d made the roster.
Smith broke down in tears after discovering he had made the team
The 22-year-old was told the good news before the Astros took the mound for their exhibition game against the team’s Triple-A club on Tuesday night. The Astros called in Smith’s family to witness the moment to make it even more special.
In a video of the announcement the Astros shared, manager Joe Espada told the team his desire to make a player’s call-up as special as possible and that he was about to make a phone call to someone.
The clip shows him making the call, and soon, according to USA Today, Smith’s mom, stepfather and grandmother appear. Smith realizes what this means and bursts into tears as he hugs his loved ones, and the team applauds.
The outlet reported that Stephanie Hocza, Smith’s mother, asked, “So Cam, do you know why we’re here?” She told him, “You made the roster.”
“I always thought it was possible,” a still teary-eyed Smith told reporters after the announcement, ESPN reported. “I had a great group of guys to help me out to get here today. I always thought it was a possibility for it to happen. And we’re here today talking about it now. So I’m very blessed.”
He added, “At one point it was just me and her (his mother) in the house. She struggled to take me to baseball games and practice. I’m just happy to do it for her.”
Smith’s triumphant transition from the minors to the MLB
All eyes are on Smith, who has had quite the career thus far. After playing two seasons with the Florida State Seminoles, including a stint in the Cape Cod League in 2023 between his first and second years, he was drafted 14th overall by the Chicago Cubs after playing just 32 games in the minors last season. According to the MLB, that’s the third-fewest games a position player has participated in before making it to the majors since 1965.
Even though he only played 32 games in the minors, it was enough to make Smith one to watch in the MLB. He hit six home runs in six consecutive Single-A games. Despite his undeniable performance, the Cubs traded him to the Astros to acquire Tucker in an all-star deal. He’ll likely stick around with the Astros, especially after transitioning into the outfield in mid-March.
Should Smith be included in the starting lineup for Thursday’s game against the Mets, he will become the second-youngest Astros position player to make his major debut as a starter on Opening Day. The player currently holding the No. 1 spot is Rusty Staub, who was 19 when he made his debut in 1963.
