If you’re a top draft pick, a successful college bat, and you take well to pro ball at Low-A after some modest adjustments, it wouldn’t be a surprise for you to see time at High-A before your initial stub year is over. I don’t know that it’s ever a guarantee – last year’s first rounder Matt Shaw was especially successful – but in the current era with more rapid player promotion, I think it’s now fairly common.
What’s less common is a six-game homer binge to precede the promotion to High-A. That’s what it was for Cubs first rounder Cam Smith, who homered today for literally the sixth game in a row at Low-A Myrtle Beach. So, yeah, the promotion to High-A South Bend was a foregone conclusion:
Because Smith, 21, had less college experience than many other college picks (he played just two years at FSU), and because his breakout in 2024 was tied in large part to some ascendent development trends, I wasn’t sure he was going to be one of those guys who rakes in pro ball right away. I certainly hoped it would be the case, but it wasn’t necessarily going to bother me if he took until, say, mid-way through his first full pro season (2025) to really start accelerating.
That is still possible, I suppose, if he were to hit a wall at South Bend for the rest of this year. Wouldn’t really concern me. But after what he’s done at Myrtle Beach, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I want to see him keep exploding.
And, you know, hit homer number seven on Tuesday in South Bend.