Another Cubs prospect joins MLB Top 100 amidst insane start to his pro career

Recently drafted Cubs first-rounder Cam Smith has lit the minor leagues on fire in his first month as a pro, already earning himself a coveted spot on MLB's top 100 prospects list.

Smith was the 13th overall selection in the 2024 draft and the team officially signed him on July 20 after giving him a $5,070,700 bonus. Since his debut with Myrtle Beach Pelicans on August 9, Smith has stormed through the minor league system and already made his way to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. In his first 28 professional games across three minor league levels, the 22-year-old slugger has 32 hits, 15 extra-base hits, and an OPS of 1.061. This streak culminated with a stretch where Smith homered in six-straight games for Myrtle Beach, cementing his promotion to High-A.

The bump to South Bend was well-deserved after Smith's home run tear, but the former FSU slugger continued to rack up hits and quickly made his way to Tennessee. Now he joins a loaded group of talented Cubs prospects on the top 100 list, all of whom are currently with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs that Smith is now vying for a spot on. Smith's numbers will eventually come back down to Earth, but it's very encouraging to see the team have a talented third baseman coming up when the team has struggled mightily at the hot corner all year.

An appearance in the Arizona Fall League seems imminent and a Triple-A promotion could happen as early as the first half of 2025, but how soon will Smith be knocking on the big league door?

Can Smith help the Cubs soon?

The third base struggles for the Cubs didn't get much better after the team acquired Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline. Although the former Rays slugger has been more consistent defensively than Christopher Morel ever was, his bat has been pretty cold during his brief Cubs' tenure and he's hitting just .186 through his first 37 games on the North Side. But the Cubs have to stay committed to Paredes for at least a significant chunk of 2025, as he's under contract for three more seasons and hasn't even turned 26 years old yet.

Behind Paredes on the depth chart is Matt Shaw, a highly-touted player who will make Smith's path to the majors a bit complicated. Shaw is currently the team's highest-ranked prospect in the system and although he is a natural middle infielder, he can play third base at a respectable level. Plus, Shaw has more experience in the pros than Smith as he has eclipsed 500 minor league at-bats.

Although Smith's rise has been fast, a big-league promotion is unlikely to happen before the 2026 season given the potential situation brewing between Paredes and Shaw. But Smith's development is very much worth keeping an eye on, especially if he proves to be an above-average power hitter, something the team desperately needs at the big-league level. He also has a solid 6'3 build with a strong throwing arm (60 grade), giving him more of a traditional third-baseman makeup.