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Cam Smith, 3B, Astros: When it came time to trade outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Astros had plenty of excellent offers on the table. Ultimately, they went with the package proffered by the Cubs, which included big leaguers Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski as well as prospect Smith.

The latter was Chicago’s first-round pick—No. 14 overall—out of Florida State. The slugger made the transition from metal to wood look easy, moving from Low-A to Double-A in just 32 games and crushing seven home runs along the way.

On Tuesday, after an offseason to refresh, he showed that there’s more than enough juice in his batteries to defeat the pitcher-friendly environs in Florida. Facing the Mets, Smith crunched his first two Grapefruit League homers. Both blasts went to the opposite field and came off of big leaguers. He reached Austin Warren in the sixth inning and Connor Overton in the eighth.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Orioles: Entering Tuesday’s tilt between Baltimore and Detroit, all eyes were on Jobe, the No. 2 pitching prospect in the sport behind only the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki (who made his spring debut 2,000 miles away in front of far fewer eyes). Kjerstad did his best to grab the spotlight, at least for a little while. In the second inning, Kjerstad won the battle of top-three overall picks—Kjerstad went No. 2 to Baltimore in 2020 and Jobe went No. 3 to Detroit a year later—by swatting an opposite-field blast for his first dinger of the spring.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians: After three stellar seasons at Oregon State, Bazzana heard his name called as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. The infielder put forth a fine pro debut, which finished with three home runs for High-A Lake County. On Tuesday, Cleveland’s top prospect connected for his first Cactus League longball. The infielder redirected an 87 mph fastball from Brewers righty Alexander Cornielle for a three-run blast to dead center. The ball left the bat at 107.6 mph and traveled an estimated 443 feet.

Cole Carrigg, UTIL, Rockies: A little more than 11 months ago, Carrigg was beginning to garner some buzz on the backfields. Here’s what we wrote at the time.

“The versatile Carrigg employs a swing that helps him deliver the barrel well from both sides of the plate, shows above-average speed on the basepaths and has solid actions and hands as well.”

On Tuesday, he definitely delivered the barrel. After taking Kris Bryant’s spot in the sixth inning, Carrigg got three trips to the plate. He made the most of them. His signature moment was a booming home run down the right field line. The ball left the bat at 110.6 mph and traveled an estimated 373 feet over the wall at Salt River Fields.

Carrigg also added a double to his ledger, scored twice and drove in three runs. The double was his second of the spring.

Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers: A year ago, Pratt was one of 70 intriguing players who caught scouts’ eyes during minor league spring training. Here’s what we wrote at the time.

“(Scouts) see a potential everyday player who can put the barrel often and grow into plenty of power as he adds muscle to his tall frame. He may one day grow out of shortstop and have to move over to third base, but his hands and arm would fit well at the position and the potential uptick in power would help his bat fit the prototypical hot corner profile.“

Pratt followed that review with stellar season that included a spot on the NL’s roster in the Futures Game and a cameo at Double-A Biloxi by season’s end.

On Tuesday, he providing the opening acts for what he hopes will be an encore performance. Facing Cleveland, Pratt collected three hits—including two doubles—drove in three runs and scored once. His best bolt was a double with a 106.5 mph exit velocity, a figure just a couple of ticks shy of the maximum mark he posted in 2024.

Editor’s Picks

Roki’s Debut: Baseball America was on hand for Sasaki’s first spring outing against the White Sox. Here’s what we saw. Read more…

Yankees Injury Woes: New York’s upper-level pitching depth is already getting tested early in 2025. Read more…

Leiter’s Velo Bump: Rangers RHP Jack Leiter has a small margin for error, but his increase fastball velo in his first outing is encouraging. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

AJ Russell, RHP, Tennessee: Russell made his college debut yesterday for the Volunteers, pitching one inning against North Alabama. He underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in June and was expected to return in the second half of the season. It’s quite a development for one of the top college teams in the country, but it’s also a significant development for the 2025 MLB Draft. Russell has first-round potential if he remains healthy and pitches well this spring.

Quick Hits

News and notes from around spring training…

• Rays 1B Xavier Isaac needs an MRI on his left elbow

• The Braves optioned Hurston Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett

• Dodgers infielder Hyeseong Kim could open year in the minors

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