HOUSTON — When Cam Smith made his MLB debut on opening day for the Houston Astros, it was the third-fastest that someone had gone from the draft to the majors.

Selected 14th overall by the Cubs in last year’s draft, Smith played just 32 minor league games, including five at Double-A, before moving to the big leagues.

Behind the rookie’s meteoric ascent was years of work, preparation and planning coupled with a team working behind the scenes to help him reach the majors in near record time.

His mother muses about him being “too serious.” His hitting coach Aaron Capista says that he’s “built different.” Jason Romano, his longtime adviser and current agent at Excel Sports Management, says that he’s unlike anyone he’s ever known. Teammate Mauricio Dubon proclaims: “He’s gonna be a big star

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