Astros prospect Cam Smith breaks down in tears after family tells him he made the team

The Houston Astros put the rest of MLB on notice Tuesday night. If you're thinking about putting out an emotional video of your team's top prospect making the big-league roster, you're going to have to step up your game.

The Astros took that announcement to another level Tuesday, calling in uber-prospect Cam Smith's family to give him the news that he made the major-league roster. When he realized what was happening, Smith immediately broke down in tears.

Credit to Astros manager Joe Espada for getting creative with the news. Instead of pulling Smith into the manager's office to make the announcement, Espada told the team he would call in a special guest to deliver the news. Moments after Espada made the call, Smith's family walked into the locker room. You can hear Smith immediately start crying as he realized what was happening. 

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Smith immediately embraced his family while the locker room clapped for the rookie. When things finally quieted down, Smith's mother deadpanned, "Cam, do you know why you're here?" Astros players started laughing as Smith's mom officially let her son know he made the Astros' big-league roster.

Cam Smith to make historic debut for Astros

Smith, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was the biggest name the Astros received in the Kyle Tucker trade. While Smith was ranked highly on prospect lists entering spring training, no one expected he would force his way onto Houston's major-league roster so soon.

That's because Smith, 22, played just 32 games in the minors. He dominated the competition in those games, slashing .313/.396/.609, but most prospects need more than five games above Double-A before they are ready for the majors. That wasn't the case for Smith, who hit .342/.419/.711 over 43 plate appearances in spring training. That was enough to convince the Astros he was one of the top 26 players in the organization.

When Smith debuts Thursday, he'll be the first player from the 2024 MLB Draft to make it to the big leagues. He'll also be the third-fastest position player to reach the majors, per MLB.com's Jim Callis. Only Pete Incaviglia — zero games in the minors — and John Olerud — six games in the minors — reached the major leagues with less experience.

Given his meteoric rise, and status as the headliner of the Tucker trade, expectations will be extremely high for Smith. With the Astros looking more vulnerable compared to previous seasons, Smith could be the spark the franchise needs to win its eighth NL West division title in the past nine seasons.