Acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade, Smith is a player the Astros hope can be one of their top players one day. He could play third base, where is most comfortable. Of course, he would have to beat out Isaac Paredes at some point.
But Smith’s slugging ability in college is what made him a first-round pick last year and it’s what has the Astros so high on his future.
But Smith, who hasn’t played a single game in the Astros’ system yet, isn’t the only slugger coming up through the pipeline.
MLB Pipeline recently started a series on top prospects by team by tool, starting with power. The story spotlighted one player from each team that it expects to be a source of power at the plate, should they make it to the majors one day.
Smith would have been an obvious choice, but the site decided to dig a little deeper.
MLB Pipeline selected Luis Baez, an outfielder who has only been a professional for three seasons but has already built intriguing credentials in the minor leagues.
Baez was signed out of the Dominican Republic during the 2022 international signing period and was given a $1.2 million signing bonus. That indicated that the Astros has some level of faith in his future development.
Like most international prospects, he played his first season in the Dominican Summer League. There, he slashed a solid .305/.351/.552/.903 in 58 games, with nine home runs and 43 RBI.
In 2023, the Astros brought him stateside for the first time but started him with the Florida Complex rookie team in West Palm Beach, Fla. He only played 17 games before he was promoted to Class-A Fayetteville. His slash numbers dropped in 58 games — .248/.357/.481/.838 — but his power went up to 11 home runs with 38 RBI.
Last season he had a breakthrough in his first full season. He played in 106 games, starting at High-A Asheville before a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi. He put together a slash line of .258/.301/.462/.763 and hit 21 home runs with 76 RBI.
He’s entering his age 21 seasons in the minors and has potential to earn a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land by the end of the season. With the Astros’ continued search for power in the outfield, Baez is growing into a bona fide option.