Astros rookie Cam Smith now takes the later bus to games — and it could shape his career

New York Times

4 days ago

PHOENIX — Three buses transport the Houston Astros to and from every road ballpark, a transit system based on service time and pregame schedules. Veterans have seats on the final shuttles. Manager Joe Espada, his coaching staff and some rookies ride the first bus, which sometimes departs six hours before first pitch.
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At the beginning of his big league career, Cam Smith never missed the first bus. He is a precisionist with a meticulous pregame routine, but also cognizant of his place within the clubhouse hierarchy. Earlier this month, Smith said he prioritizes being in the batting cage 'before the veteran guys start to step in.'
Smith's respect for the sport's status quo is admirable, one of the myriad reasons a man with just 32 games of minor-league experience has made such a seamless transition to major-league life.
Prolonging it means protecting Smith from himself. The Astros' 22-year-old wunderkind is walking into uncharted territory, where such a dogged work ethic may do more harm than help.
'It kills him when we tell him that,' first-base coach Dave Clark said. 'He's just such a perfectionist. But he's taken to it. He's starting to understand a little bit.'
Two months remain in what is already the longest season of Smith's baseball life, a fact reiterated to the rookie by those around him. Smith's preference is to not change a thing about the routine he's crafted, be it taking the first bus, being early to the batting cages or continuing to learn the intricacies of outfield play alongside Clark.
'Just tell him that he ain't f—ing doing it,' Clark said with a smile. 'Leave it at that. Say, 'Hey, you're not doing it. That's it. Go sit down. Go back inside.' Because if we left it up to him, he'd still be doing it. We just have to make sure we are adamant about what we tell him.'
Clark has morphed into one of Smith's most trusted mentors during a season defined by confronting learning curves. The latest is a delicate balancing act, intended to preserve Smith for the future without eliminating his ethos.
'He's in the middle of like, 'Oh my God, OK, I didn't know this. Wow, that's wild,'' bench coach Omar López said. 'It's going to feel a little bit weird when he starts to do stuff differently that he hasn't done in the last three months, but then later on, he's going to see, 'This helped me, so let me do it more often at this point in the season.' He'll figure out how to manage his stuff.
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'He's 22 and wants to play all the way to 39, 40. The first five years are the most important.'
Smith is 13 months removed from playing in the College World Series for Florida State. He never took more than 322 plate appearances or played in more than 66 games in any collegiate season, all of which contained ample off days with limited travel.
Even Smith's draft year only featured a combined 98 games and 384 plate appearances between college and the Chicago Cubs' minor-league system. Carrying him on the Opening Day roster this year all but assured Smith would shatter those benchmarks. He has already appeared in 88 games and accrued 349 plate appearances — and he's feeling the effects.
'He does not look as fresh as he did on Opening Day,' Clark acknowledged, claiming the club's recent trip through Colorado and Los Angeles took a bigger toll on Smith than others.
'He's getting used to it, but (if) we start to see maybe he's a step slower or his bat is dragging a little bit or he's not running like he normally runs, we'll just shut him down.'
Houston does not have that luxury, but even if it did, it is far from the team's intent. Tailoring Smith's pre- or postgame workload is the priority. Smith is taking fewer swings in the batting cage and has stopped daily work with Clark in the outfield, though the duo still throws to bases or tracks fly balls 'a couple times a week,' Smith said.
'He needs to understand it's a ramp-up, then you get to the middle and stay there,' López said. 'You're going to get some ups and downs when you get to the middle, but then the whole idea is not to go all the way down. It's to stay right there before you ramp up and finish strong.'
Few coaches are better equipped to counsel Smith than López and Clark. López is an Astros lifer who managed for 12 seasons within the club's minor-league system, where he guided several players in Smith's predicament.
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Clark parlayed his 13-year playing career into 15 years of coaching, including two stints on the Astros' staff. Clark's first Astros tenure included teaching Michael Bourn: another excitable young outfielder he needed to temper.
'He comes out (and) wants to run down every fly ball when he's not hitting, and I had to make him stop doing that,' Clark said. 'I said, 'You hit, you go inside.' I know you're not a 10-year vet, but you make sure you go in and get your rest.'
Smith is in impeccable shape and follows a strict diet, but many big leaguers can make the same claims. Adjusting to the travel, constant changes in time zones and quick turnarounds after a night game require more than the regimented routine Smith has.
'I think I've found a good routine to do in the weight room just to get my body ready, and I feel good every day,' said Smith, who lifts weights twice per week. 'I think I've found something I can rely on for now until I have to adjust, but I've been feeling good every day.'
Smith did not start Wednesday's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, part of manager Joe Espada's plan to protect the young outfielder as his workload grows. Smith has just eight hits in his past 57 at-bats, prompting an obvious question of whether the volume has caught up with him.
Acquiring a left-handed hitting outfielder before the trade deadline could be beneficial if the Astros continue monitoring Smith's workload. General manager Dana Brown acknowledged as much during an appearance on the team's pregame radio show last week. Welcoming back injured outfield prospect Jacob Melton, another left-handed hitter, could serve the same purpose.
Isaac Paredes' hamstring injury has already heightened Brown's desire to add another bat before the July 31 deadline, but even if he does, Smith will remain an everyday player. Ensuring that continues is crucial, even if it means breaking from precedent.
'It is tough, but having the coaches talk to me about it makes me realize, 'OK, maybe I should take a step back and show up a little bit later than I have been,'' Smith said.
'Nowadays it's not a bad idea to catch the second bus.'