March 5, 2025 • 14 mins
Astros top prospect Cam Smith joins Todd Kalas and Garrett Greene on Astroline from West Palm Beach on 3/5/25, talking about his experience so far in Spring Training.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So here is Cam Smith. It's the Paul Welber right.
The wind is blowing that way. Ramirez looking up that.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Polls caught on the berm.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Cam Smith, the top prospect for the Astros, goes opposite
field for his first ever spring trading home run.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Well, that's exciting to see right there, Smith driving in Matthews.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
With a blast and Smith hits it high in the air,
pretty deep to center de Los Santos going back toward
right center field at the wall and make it two
hold runs the other way for Cam Smith, the astros
number one prospect, putting on a show this afternoon, and.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
He didn't even get that one. That's how strong he is,
that's how quick his hands are. That's how athletic Cam
Smith is.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Swung on, hit high in the air, deep to center field,
all the way back Pinterer near the.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Wall, that post off the top of the wall. One
run scores, two run scores. There comes to go ahead
run hillscore. Cam Smith clars the bases with a triple
off the top of the long center and the Astros
lead this game four to three.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
That is a strong man, Camp Smith. We welcome you
back to Astro line.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
All those highlights were courtesy of our next guest, Cam Smith.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
What a start to spring training it has been for you,
young man.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
You start out on your birthday playing your first ever
spring training game, then the next day you hit two
home runs. You have that triple a couple of days
ago in Jupiter. Are you having the best time of
your life right now?
Speaker 5 (01:31):
Absolutely? I'm glad to be a Houston Astro.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
What has it been like to be applause from all
the astros fright?
Speaker 5 (01:41):
What has it been like to be in your first
spring training camp?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I was looking at your schedule from last year, so
tomorrow is March six. On March six last year, you're
getting ready for Florida Gulf Coast at Mike Martin Field
at Florida State. Now you're going to be going up
and playing the New York Mets. You're probably gonna be
in the lineup against Juan Soto, Francisco lindor Pete Linzo.
Their number one prospect is going to be pitching. What
(02:04):
has it been like making that transition. I know you
were in the minors last year, but in your first
spring training seeing guys and playing against guys that you
may have analyzed the points in your life.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
Yeah, it definitely shows you how fast this game moves.
I'm definitely excited, like you said about, you know, playing
against Juan Soto and Lindora, those guys I always watched,
you know, I always idolize those guys and just to
be able to play on the same field as them,
it's going to be so fun.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
But you gets to be in the same clubhouse as
a lot of guys who have made big moments, have
been part of big plays for the Astros and other
different organizations as well. Who's been the maybe the guy
that you've gone to the most to try and soak
up information, albeit in a short amount of time here
in spring training. But I know that that's a focal
point for a lot of young guys who are in
their first camp where they go when they try and
(02:49):
find out as much as they can from a big leaguer.
Who have you been shadowing a little bit to see
what you can learn from them?
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Yes, I kind of been talking to everybody here and
there when I can. I've had conversations with Panya and
Luis ki Armey your don. Jordan's pretty quiet, but he's
my neighbor in the locker so he's got to be
cool with me, Christian Walkert. Just just small things like
you know, defense, base running stuff like that, And yeah,
(03:15):
I mean anything I can get from those guys is gold.
So you know, like like Clark, you said, I'm a sponge.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
When we heard those highlights. Your first two home runs
both hit through the opposite field. And I remember checking
out a video of you when you were micd up
getting ready for the College World Series, and all you
talked about was how your VP session you'd like to
try and go the other way you go. I might
be boring, but that's kind of how Is that always
been in your head to let the ball travel, to
get inside the ball, and to use the opposite field.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Has that always been your mo? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (03:44):
That's always been my game, and I feel like it's
worse worked best for me the most. I've tried other approaches,
but but I feel like going to the Cape in
twenty three, I found that approaching VP and I thought
that it worked really good. So I just stuck to it,
and I've been very stubborn with that approach.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Can say you said in that same moment that TK
is talking about, you said, I probably take the most
boring VP, and that you're not the first person I've
heard that has said that as well. So what is
it that is so boring about batting practice? But then
it translates to two home runs in a ball game
(04:20):
doubles off the wall. What is it that maybe doesn't
speed up but puts you in a position to be
in the right spot to where batting practice might be boring,
but the game.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Isn't right, So I think and VP just hidden focusing
on hidding low line drives. It turns into big things
in the game, like I think things small and big
things will happen taking care of little things. So like
if you can control you know how far off the
ground the ball gets when you hit it off the
bat and VP, I mean your your money and game
you you've already got to win. So I feel like
(04:51):
with the adrenaline in game, if you're a little bit
under it, which clearly have been, you'll get that nice
backspin and it'll go over the fence naturally. And it's
not that you think about hitting home runs. You think small,
like I said, and big things will happen.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So you went your play basically playing in your backyard, right,
which is pretty cool you went to Palm Beach Central.
You're a Florida State guy. You're a true Florida guy
through and through. When you come out here to spring training,
you're playing in West Palm Beach. You're you're not going
out to Arizona like you might have with the Cubs.
How cool has it been to play here your family?
I'm assuming it's getting a chance to go to a
lot of games friends showing up from Palm Beach Central.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
I assume it's some of these games. What's it been
like here the first ten days.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Or so, Yeah, honestly, it's it's paradise. I don't know
how I'm in this position today. All the other I
can say is like, thank God, I'm so blessed to
be in this spot.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Like you said, I'm home.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
My family gets to watch me play baseball again, and
you know, it's been a while since college. And yeah,
I mean playing with the Houston Astros. I mean this
is this is a winning culture here, so like I
got the best of the best. So I'm just I'm
happy to be here and let's keep winning.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
One thing that I saw you say about the game
of baseball, You're like, it's not really hyper adrenaline. Like football,
you've got to be in the chill zone. You gotta
be really chill to be successful percent. And then I
looked at your numbers in the College World Series and
you did your thing again. You against uc if you
hit home runs back to back games, you killed u
kond of the Super Regionals.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
But your numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You drew a lot of walks in the College World
Series and your very first game as an astro, you
had just turned twenty two that day, it's your birthday.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
They honored you or they celebrated with you in the clubhouse.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
It's a game where you were probably like so amped
up to try and do something and you drew two walks.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
That You're able to either slow your heart rate down
or slow the game down to the point where you
don't feel like you have to make that impression and
swing out of the zone. Taking two walks to me
was almost as impressive, not quite as the two home runs.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Yeah that was pretty That was pretty cool. Yeah. So, so,
like you said, I like to be chill.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
So before every game, I listened to Bob Marley and
I meditate, I take I take my time, I take
about ten minutes to meditate in my choir room, and
I feel like, like I said in twenty three in
the KPE, that's where I found my kind of my
routine before games, so VP and you know, chilling, kind
of like saw my heart rate down. So meditation has
(07:09):
been a huge thing for me. I do it before
every game. And while listening to Bob Marley, he's he's
one of my favorite artists.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
And you go to the movie.
Speaker 6 (07:17):
Yes I've seen that movie three times, three times, no joke,
but yeah, I can't I can't see here, and a
lot of you like I'm not nervous every single I
back because I am, like I'm I'm pretty much shaken.
Like if you if you look closely at my hands,
could be probably shaken. I'm very nervous because I love
this game and I love I love the people around me.
So I want to I want to make everybody proud.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Well, you you talk about big moments and you had
and TK talks about maybe moments, you had some real
postseason experience.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Last season.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You obviously get to go to College World Series for
the first time ever. And then even whenever you get drafted,
you're playing for the Cubs, they push you up to
Double A, and I know the crowds of the Southern
League are not quite the same as they are in
Omaha for the College World Series, but you still got
a first taste of postseason baseball. So how was that
to get that experience with two different unique postseasons and
(08:08):
give you that exposure as you continue to climb to
the higher levels.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Yeah, it was. It was awesome.
Speaker 6 (08:13):
Like you said, we we went far in playoffs with
with Florida State and and it kind of had a
rhythm and momentum to go into PROBA on and go
into the playoffs against So that was pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
I was like, I'm back, you know, I'm back in
the playoffs.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
This is awesome. This is winning baseball. So I enjoyed
my time with with the Tennessee Smokies and the Cubs
as a whole.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You mentioned the Cave a couple of times and take
us through what that transition was. How much that got
you ready for your first year of professional baseball back
in the day. I don't know if it still applies,
but used to have another job in addition to playing
at the Cave. I don't know if they still make
you do that. But what was tell us about your
Cape experience Cape cod Lea.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
Yeah, so pretty much, you're you're kind of you're not
on your own, but you know, obviously you're with different players,
you're not with your own coaching staff, so you're kind
of in a sense on your on with what you
do before the game, because it's pretty laid back pretty.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Much like you just show up for game time and
you go play.
Speaker 6 (09:07):
So I developed my routine there, like I said, meditation
and focus and really having intent on every swing and
VP and letting it translate to the game. So yeah,
like like as as a person, as a as an
individual player, I found my routine there and I've I've
rode this wave until now.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Man.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, the Cape also it is the first time where
in college, you know, you'll play a Tuesday game, maybe
a Tuesday Wednesday, and then a Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But
in the Cape that's a little bit closer to what
pro ball is. It's obviously a shorter season, but I'm
sure that also gives you a little bit and gave
you a head start of oh, this is what it's
like to show up and play every day. And if
(09:46):
I have a couple of bad days strung back to back.
There's the reprieve of hey, there's tomorrow to try and
turn it around, but there's also the thought of, oh,
there is tomorrow where it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Might not get better.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
Right, Yeah, So I think playing in the Cape, playing
every single day, you kind of developed a short memory
just just.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
By like just by habit, just by naturally.
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Like you said, you play on you play on Monday,
so what oh for four you show up the next
day and it's a new day. You gotta have short
You gotta have a short term memory in this game.
And like I said, it's huge as a ballplayer. That's
to get in that momentum, getting that rhythm.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
So yeah, if Cam Smith becomes a world champion as
a Houston Ashow, he would become the second Palm Beach
Central High School product to become a world champion as
a Houston ashtro Brad Peacock won a ring with the
Astros in twenty seventeen, so there is some history there
from your school going on to star with the Houston
ass Did you know Brad at all or have you
(10:41):
talked to any guys who have gone through that high
school there and then gone on to the pros.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Yeah, I've known about Brad and I've actually known Brad
personally since I got to to Palmby Central in h
twenty eighteen, twenty eighteen. And you know, you go to
our field at Palmby Central, you see as numb retired
on the fence. So I was like, who's that guy.
I mean, that's pretty cool to have your number retired
out of high school. And I said, I want to
do the same thing.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
sEH.
Speaker 6 (11:07):
I've known him since then and we've been, you know,
kind of talking here and there, but definitely more when
I got traded to the Astros obviously, and he said,
you're gonna love it, and.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
So far I have.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
So you've already talked to him since the trade, yes, sir,
and he said, this is an organization you're gonna fin.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
You grew up here in Palm Beach, the Astros Complex
a little bit newer would have been I guess if
you said twenty eighteen, so it would have been your
sophomore year. But did you grow up going to because
there's not just our complex, there's plenty of others. Did
you grow up going to spring training baseball at all?
Speaker 6 (11:37):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (11:38):
I did? I did?
Speaker 6 (11:38):
I went to Roger Dean and I went to uh
when when Cactie opened or it was called Ballpark. When
Ballpark opened up, I went there with my grandmother. She
she always took me to the spring training game. So yeah,
I've had experience there at pretty much all the spring
training games around here, and I even played in travel
tournaments at Cacti.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So tomorrow is a night game where you guys go
up the road a little bit to Port Saint Lucy
to take on the bets.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
The routine is very similar day in and day out
down here at Florida, where you get ready, you do
things at a certain time. You got to adjust tomorrow.
Right tomorrow, you don't have to show up quite as early.
You have to get ready for a night game. Are
you looking for it?
Speaker 5 (12:14):
A to playing under the lights a little bit and
playing the New York Mets, which should be a pretty
good crowd at night time. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
No, I've been talking about it all day. I said,
this is gonna be pretty fun.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
Man.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
It's it's a night game, like you said, and we're
playing the New York Mets. They're they're very good ball club.
So and I actually I got the nod from Joe
today or today? Yeah, about playing tomorrow, so I'll be
I'll be starting third base, starting nice, Yeah, seeing a
good time, sundown lights on, it'll be cool.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I want to ask you because you you grew up
here in West Palm and Miami's just down the road,
Gainesville's up the way, but you ended up being a
going to Florida State. And I've seen you say that
you were Florida State all the way through. You wanted
to go there, that was your dream school. What was
it that led you to be a Florida State fan
and not gravitate towards a couple of schools that are
(13:03):
a lot.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Closer here in the state. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (13:05):
So since I can remember my I mean, I've always
been a Florida State fan. My family has always been
like Laeve Garner and Gold, They've they've always been huge
Florida State fans.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
So, you know, I kind of just naturally been a fan.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And then you help them get back to the College
World Series for the first type of five years and
after missing the Attorney of the Year before that had
to be cool that you guys really got to go
in last year before you got drafted.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yeah, it was it was probably my most favorite year
of my life. It was.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
It was so fun playing at my dream school, living
out my dream every single day, and going to the
college road Series.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
That's amazing. How about going to football games did you have?
Was that a thing?
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:43):
No, it was part of the Yeah, it was electric.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Both years I was there, it was electric, especially the
year of what was it, twenty four? Yeah year yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no,
twenty three. In the fall they went underfeed him man. Yeah,
they went undefeated. So I saw thirteen and o season.
I went to every home game. It was packed out, crowd,
sold out stadium every single every single night, every single Saturday.
(14:08):
So yeah, it's an electric, electric atmosphere over there at
Dope Campbell.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
How cool was it for you as well?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
You obviously get drafted in the first round by the Cubs,
but right before you.
Speaker 5 (14:18):
You have one of your teammates who gets drafted.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You guys go back to back with James Tibbs, who
got drafted by San Francisco. So how fun was that?
Were you guys around each other or were you kind
of in separate spots that you had to say, hey,
this guy who had played with we went back to back.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Right there in the draft.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
Yeah, so we're in our separate spots. He was in
his hometown in Georgia, and obviously I was here in
West Palm Beach.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
But but we texted each other. We said, man, this
is going to be a part of history forever. This
is so cool.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
I'm just thankful we get to be in this spot
today and we're just so thankful for that.
So here is Cam Smith. It's the Paul Welber right.
The wind is blowing that way. Ramirez looking up that.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Polls caught on the berm.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Cam Smith, the top prospect for the Astros, goes opposite
field for his first ever spring trading home run.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Well, that's exciting to see right there, Smith driving in Matthews.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
With a blast and Smith hits it high in the air,
pretty deep to center de Los Santos going back toward
right center field at the wall and make it two
hold runs the other way for Cam Smith, the astros
number one prospect, putting on a show this afternoon, and.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
He didn't even get that one. That's how strong he is,
that's how quick his hands are. That's how athletic Cam
Smith is.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Swung on, hit high in the air, deep to center field,
all the way back Pinterer near the.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Wall, that post off the top of the wall. One
run scores, two run scores. There comes to go ahead
run hillscore. Cam Smith clars the bases with a triple
off the top of the long center and the Astros
lead this game four to three.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
That is a strong man, Camp Smith. We welcome you
back to Astro line.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
All those highlights were courtesy of our next guest, Cam Smith.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
What a start to spring training it has been for you,
young man.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
You start out on your birthday playing your first ever
spring training game, then the next day you hit two
home runs. You have that triple a couple of days
ago in Jupiter. Are you having the best time of
your life right now?
Speaker 5 (01:31):
Absolutely? I'm glad to be a Houston Astro.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
What has it been like to be applause from all
the astros fright?
Speaker 5 (01:41):
What has it been like to be in your first
spring training camp?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I was looking at your schedule from last year, so
tomorrow is March six. On March six last year, you're
getting ready for Florida Gulf Coast at Mike Martin Field
at Florida State. Now you're going to be going up
and playing the New York Mets. You're probably gonna be
in the lineup against Juan Soto, Francisco lindor Pete Linzo.
Their number one prospect is going to be pitching. What
(02:04):
has it been like making that transition. I know you
were in the minors last year, but in your first
spring training seeing guys and playing against guys that you
may have analyzed the points in your life.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
Yeah, it definitely shows you how fast this game moves.
I'm definitely excited, like you said about, you know, playing
against Juan Soto and Lindora, those guys I always watched,
you know, I always idolize those guys and just to
be able to play on the same field as them,
it's going to be so fun.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
But you gets to be in the same clubhouse as
a lot of guys who have made big moments, have
been part of big plays for the Astros and other
different organizations as well. Who's been the maybe the guy
that you've gone to the most to try and soak
up information, albeit in a short amount of time here
in spring training. But I know that that's a focal
point for a lot of young guys who are in
their first camp where they go when they try and
(02:49):
find out as much as they can from a big leaguer.
Who have you been shadowing a little bit to see
what you can learn from them?
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Yes, I kind of been talking to everybody here and
there when I can. I've had conversations with Panya and
Luis ki Armey your don. Jordan's pretty quiet, but he's
my neighbor in the locker so he's got to be
cool with me, Christian Walkert. Just just small things like
you know, defense, base running stuff like that, And yeah,
(03:15):
I mean anything I can get from those guys is gold.
So you know, like like Clark, you said, I'm a sponge.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
When we heard those highlights. Your first two home runs
both hit through the opposite field. And I remember checking
out a video of you when you were micd up
getting ready for the College World Series, and all you
talked about was how your VP session you'd like to
try and go the other way you go. I might
be boring, but that's kind of how Is that always
been in your head to let the ball travel, to
get inside the ball, and to use the opposite field.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Has that always been your mo? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (03:44):
That's always been my game, and I feel like it's
worse worked best for me the most. I've tried other approaches,
but but I feel like going to the Cape in
twenty three, I found that approaching VP and I thought
that it worked really good. So I just stuck to it,
and I've been very stubborn with that approach.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Can say you said in that same moment that TK
is talking about, you said, I probably take the most
boring VP, and that you're not the first person I've
heard that has said that as well. So what is
it that is so boring about batting practice? But then
it translates to two home runs in a ball game
(04:20):
doubles off the wall. What is it that maybe doesn't
speed up but puts you in a position to be
in the right spot to where batting practice might be boring,
but the game.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
Isn't right, So I think and VP just hidden focusing
on hidding low line drives. It turns into big things
in the game, like I think things small and big
things will happen taking care of little things. So like
if you can control you know how far off the
ground the ball gets when you hit it off the
bat and VP, I mean your your money and game
you you've already got to win. So I feel like
(04:51):
with the adrenaline in game, if you're a little bit
under it, which clearly have been, you'll get that nice
backspin and it'll go over the fence naturally. And it's
not that you think about hitting home runs. You think small,
like I said, and big things will happen.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So you went your play basically playing in your backyard, right,
which is pretty cool you went to Palm Beach Central.
You're a Florida State guy. You're a true Florida guy
through and through. When you come out here to spring training,
you're playing in West Palm Beach. You're you're not going
out to Arizona like you might have with the Cubs.
How cool has it been to play here your family?
I'm assuming it's getting a chance to go to a
lot of games friends showing up from Palm Beach Central.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
I assume it's some of these games. What's it been
like here the first ten days.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Or so, Yeah, honestly, it's it's paradise. I don't know
how I'm in this position today. All the other I
can say is like, thank God, I'm so blessed to
be in this spot.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
Like you said, I'm home.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
My family gets to watch me play baseball again, and
you know, it's been a while since college. And yeah,
I mean playing with the Houston Astros. I mean this
is this is a winning culture here, so like I
got the best of the best. So I'm just I'm
happy to be here and let's keep winning.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
One thing that I saw you say about the game
of baseball, You're like, it's not really hyper adrenaline. Like football,
you've got to be in the chill zone. You gotta
be really chill to be successful percent. And then I
looked at your numbers in the College World Series and
you did your thing again. You against uc if you
hit home runs back to back games, you killed u
kond of the Super Regionals.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
But your numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You drew a lot of walks in the College World
Series and your very first game as an astro, you
had just turned twenty two that day, it's your birthday.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
They honored you or they celebrated with you in the clubhouse.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
It's a game where you were probably like so amped
up to try and do something and you drew two walks.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
That You're able to either slow your heart rate down
or slow the game down to the point where you
don't feel like you have to make that impression and
swing out of the zone. Taking two walks to me
was almost as impressive, not quite as the two home runs.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Yeah that was pretty That was pretty cool. Yeah. So, so,
like you said, I like to be chill.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
So before every game, I listened to Bob Marley and
I meditate, I take I take my time, I take
about ten minutes to meditate in my choir room, and
I feel like, like I said in twenty three in
the KPE, that's where I found my kind of my
routine before games, so VP and you know, chilling, kind
of like saw my heart rate down. So meditation has
(07:09):
been a huge thing for me. I do it before
every game. And while listening to Bob Marley, he's he's
one of my favorite artists.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
And you go to the movie.
Speaker 6 (07:17):
Yes I've seen that movie three times, three times, no joke,
but yeah, I can't I can't see here, and a
lot of you like I'm not nervous every single I
back because I am, like I'm I'm pretty much shaken.
Like if you if you look closely at my hands,
could be probably shaken. I'm very nervous because I love
this game and I love I love the people around me.
So I want to I want to make everybody proud.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Well, you you talk about big moments and you had
and TK talks about maybe moments, you had some real
postseason experience.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Last season.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You obviously get to go to College World Series for
the first time ever. And then even whenever you get drafted,
you're playing for the Cubs, they push you up to
Double A, and I know the crowds of the Southern
League are not quite the same as they are in
Omaha for the College World Series, but you still got
a first taste of postseason baseball. So how was that
to get that experience with two different unique postseasons and
(08:08):
give you that exposure as you continue to climb to
the higher levels.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Yeah, it was. It was awesome.
Speaker 6 (08:13):
Like you said, we we went far in playoffs with
with Florida State and and it kind of had a
rhythm and momentum to go into PROBA on and go
into the playoffs against So that was pretty cool.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
I was like, I'm back, you know, I'm back in
the playoffs.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
This is awesome. This is winning baseball. So I enjoyed
my time with with the Tennessee Smokies and the Cubs
as a whole.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You mentioned the Cave a couple of times and take
us through what that transition was. How much that got
you ready for your first year of professional baseball back
in the day. I don't know if it still applies,
but used to have another job in addition to playing
at the Cave. I don't know if they still make
you do that. But what was tell us about your
Cape experience Cape cod Lea.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
Yeah, so pretty much, you're you're kind of you're not
on your own, but you know, obviously you're with different players,
you're not with your own coaching staff, so you're kind
of in a sense on your on with what you
do before the game, because it's pretty laid back pretty.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Much like you just show up for game time and
you go play.
Speaker 6 (09:07):
So I developed my routine there, like I said, meditation
and focus and really having intent on every swing and
VP and letting it translate to the game. So yeah,
like like as as a person, as a as an
individual player, I found my routine there and I've I've
rode this wave until now.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Man.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, the Cape also it is the first time where
in college, you know, you'll play a Tuesday game, maybe
a Tuesday Wednesday, and then a Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But
in the Cape that's a little bit closer to what
pro ball is. It's obviously a shorter season, but I'm
sure that also gives you a little bit and gave
you a head start of oh, this is what it's
like to show up and play every day. And if
(09:46):
I have a couple of bad days strung back to back.
There's the reprieve of hey, there's tomorrow to try and
turn it around, but there's also the thought of, oh,
there is tomorrow where it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Might not get better.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
Right, Yeah, So I think playing in the Cape, playing
every single day, you kind of developed a short memory
just just.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
By like just by habit, just by naturally.
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Like you said, you play on you play on Monday,
so what oh for four you show up the next
day and it's a new day. You gotta have short
You gotta have a short term memory in this game.
And like I said, it's huge as a ballplayer. That's
to get in that momentum, getting that rhythm.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
So yeah, if Cam Smith becomes a world champion as
a Houston Ashow, he would become the second Palm Beach
Central High School product to become a world champion as
a Houston ashtro Brad Peacock won a ring with the
Astros in twenty seventeen, so there is some history there
from your school going on to star with the Houston
ass Did you know Brad at all or have you
(10:41):
talked to any guys who have gone through that high
school there and then gone on to the pros.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Yeah, I've known about Brad and I've actually known Brad
personally since I got to to Palmby Central in h
twenty eighteen, twenty eighteen. And you know, you go to
our field at Palmby Central, you see as numb retired
on the fence. So I was like, who's that guy.
I mean, that's pretty cool to have your number retired
out of high school. And I said, I want to
do the same thing.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
sEH.
Speaker 6 (11:07):
I've known him since then and we've been, you know,
kind of talking here and there, but definitely more when
I got traded to the Astros obviously, and he said,
you're gonna love it, and.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
So far I have.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
So you've already talked to him since the trade, yes, sir,
and he said, this is an organization you're gonna fin.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
You grew up here in Palm Beach, the Astros Complex
a little bit newer would have been I guess if
you said twenty eighteen, so it would have been your
sophomore year. But did you grow up going to because
there's not just our complex, there's plenty of others. Did
you grow up going to spring training baseball at all?
Speaker 6 (11:37):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (11:38):
I did? I did?
Speaker 6 (11:38):
I went to Roger Dean and I went to uh
when when Cactie opened or it was called Ballpark. When
Ballpark opened up, I went there with my grandmother. She
she always took me to the spring training game. So yeah,
I've had experience there at pretty much all the spring
training games around here, and I even played in travel
tournaments at Cacti.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So tomorrow is a night game where you guys go
up the road a little bit to Port Saint Lucy
to take on the bets.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
The routine is very similar day in and day out
down here at Florida, where you get ready, you do
things at a certain time. You got to adjust tomorrow.
Right tomorrow, you don't have to show up quite as early.
You have to get ready for a night game. Are
you looking for it?
Speaker 5 (12:14):
A to playing under the lights a little bit and
playing the New York Mets, which should be a pretty
good crowd at night time. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
No, I've been talking about it all day. I said,
this is gonna be pretty fun.
Speaker 5 (12:22):
Man.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
It's it's a night game, like you said, and we're
playing the New York Mets. They're they're very good ball club.
So and I actually I got the nod from Joe
today or today? Yeah, about playing tomorrow, so I'll be
I'll be starting third base, starting nice, Yeah, seeing a
good time, sundown lights on, it'll be cool.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I want to ask you because you you grew up
here in West Palm and Miami's just down the road,
Gainesville's up the way, but you ended up being a
going to Florida State. And I've seen you say that
you were Florida State all the way through. You wanted
to go there, that was your dream school. What was
it that led you to be a Florida State fan
and not gravitate towards a couple of schools that are
(13:03):
a lot.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Closer here in the state. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (13:05):
So since I can remember my I mean, I've always
been a Florida State fan. My family has always been
like Laeve Garner and Gold, They've they've always been huge
Florida State fans.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
So, you know, I kind of just naturally been a fan.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And then you help them get back to the College
World Series for the first type of five years and
after missing the Attorney of the Year before that had
to be cool that you guys really got to go
in last year before you got drafted.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yeah, it was it was probably my most favorite year
of my life. It was.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
It was so fun playing at my dream school, living
out my dream every single day, and going to the
college road Series.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
That's amazing. How about going to football games did you have?
Was that a thing?
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:43):
No, it was part of the Yeah, it was electric.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Both years I was there, it was electric, especially the
year of what was it, twenty four? Yeah year yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no,
twenty three. In the fall they went underfeed him man. Yeah,
they went undefeated. So I saw thirteen and o season.
I went to every home game. It was packed out, crowd,
sold out stadium every single every single night, every single Saturday.
(14:08):
So yeah, it's an electric, electric atmosphere over there at
Dope Campbell.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
How cool was it for you as well?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
You obviously get drafted in the first round by the Cubs,
but right before you.
Speaker 5 (14:18):
You have one of your teammates who gets drafted.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You guys go back to back with James Tibbs, who
got drafted by San Francisco. So how fun was that?
Were you guys around each other or were you kind
of in separate spots that you had to say, hey,
this guy who had played with we went back to back.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Right there in the draft.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
Yeah, so we're in our separate spots. He was in
his hometown in Georgia, and obviously I was here in
West Palm Beach.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
But but we texted each other. We said, man, this
is going to be a part of history forever. This
is so cool.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
I'm just thankful we get to be in this spot
today and we're just so thankful for that.
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