ON THE CLOCK
Houston Dynamo in the MLS SuperDraft under GM Matt Jordan
Jan 9, 2020, 7:51 am
Wilf Thorne / Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo hold the eighth overall pick in Thursday's 2020 MLS SuperDraft (11:30 a.m. CT, ESPN+).
Once a source of solid contribuitors to the club, only five of the 18 SuperDraft selections under Matt Jordan's five-season tenure have seen MLS minutes for the Houston Dynamo.
The Dynamo have actually gotten more by trading away draft picks. For example, the acquisition of Goalkeeper Joe Willis in 2016 was one that provided the Dynamo a solid contributor and starter until he was traded to Nashville this offseason.
The following is every draft choice of Jordan's tenure as the club's Senior Vice President/General Manager:
[Players in bold remain with the club]
2015
Round 1, #8 overall - Midfielder - Zach Steinberger (3 games played, 29 MLS mins)
Round 2, #30 overall - Defender - Oumar Ballo (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 2, #36 overall - Forward - Rob Lovejoy (19 GP, 351 MLS mins)
Round 3, #49 overall - Defender - Taylor Hunter (1 GP, 90 MLS mins)
2016
Round 2, #26 overall - Defender - Ivan Magalhães (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 3, #47 overall - Defender - T. J. Casner (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Trades:
Round 1, #6 overall - Traded to Philadelphia Union along with general allocation money, and targeted allocation money in exchange for midfielder Cristian Maidana and forward Andrew Wenger (December 7, 2015)
Round 4, #67 overall - Traded to D.C. United along with midfielder Andrew Driver in exchange for goalkeeper Joe Willis and defender Samuel Inkoom (December 8, 2014)
2017
Round 1, #10 overall - Midfielder - Joe Holland (5 GP, 22 MLS mins)
Round 2, #30 overall - Goalkeeper - Jake McGuire (0 GP, 0 MLS mins) [Acquired by trading Corey Ashe to Orlando]
Round 2, #36 overall - Defender - Danilo Radjen (0 GP, 0 MLS mins) [Acquired by trading Brad Davis to Kansas City]
Round 4, #70 overall - Defender - Robby Sagel (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Trades:
Round 1, #4 overall - Traded to Portland Timbers for the the #10 pick, an international roster spot and $100,000 in general allocation money.
Round 3, #48 - Traded to Real Salt Lake for defender Abdoulie Mansally
2018
Round 1, #20 overall - Goalkeeper -Michael Nelson (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 2, #43 overall - Forward - Mac Steeves (3 GP, 26 MLS mins)
Round 3, #59 overall - Midfielder - Pablo Aguilar (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 3, #66 overall - Defender - Sheldon Sullivan (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 4, #89 overall - Defender - Manny Padilla (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Signed to affiliate RGVFC outside of the draft: Goalkeeper Nico Corti, Midfielder Bryce Marion
2019
Round 1, #8 overall - Defender - Sam Junqua (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 2, #33 overall - Defender - Andrew Samuels (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Round 3, #56 overall - Midfielder - Brad Dunwell (0 GP, 0 MLS mins)
Trades:
Round 2, #32 overall - Traded to Chicago Fire in exchange for midfielder Arturo Alvarez (December 10, 2017)
Round 4, #80 overall - Traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for the MLS rights to midfielder Luis Gil for the 2018 season (April 23, 2018)
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Cam Smith brought three dozen Shipley's glazed donuts to his Houston Astros teammates Thursday morning before his major league debut.
Then he really delivered, with an opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to help Houston to a 3-1 win over the New York Mets.
“They all liked it, so that’s a good thing," Smith said of the donuts, a sentiment that could also apply to his second-inning hit that set up the first run of the game.
The 22-year-old prospect reached the majors after playing just 32 minor league games. Batting seventh and starting in right field, he became the second-youngest Astros position player to make his MLB debut as a starter on opening day and the youngest since Rusty Staub was 19 in 1963.
With one out in the second, Smith grounded a single to right field on a sinker from Clay Holmes to get his first big league hit in his initial plate appearance. Jeremy Peña dashed from first to third on the play and later scored on a groundout.
“I was just looking for a pitch and I wanted to ambush it and I got lucky with that base hit,” Smith said.
The poise he showed in his debut impressed his coaches and teammates.
“He's amazing," Jose Altuve said. “He went the other way on a tough pitch and he set the tone to score the first run. I know he's going to help this team a lot. He's going to be out there getting better and better. He's just so talented.”
Most believed that Smith, the 14th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, would need more time in the minors when he was acquired in December from the Chicago Cubs along with Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski as part of the Kyle Tucker trade.
Instead, Smith hit .342 with a triple, four homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.130 OPS this spring to earn a spot on the major league roster.
The Astros announced he’d make the big league roster earlier this week, with manager Joe Espada inviting Smith's mother into the clubhouse to deliver the news. Video of the moment shared by the Astros captured the touching exchange.
After the trade, Smith moved from third base, where Paredes is starting, to right field, where he replaced Tucker.
Still wearing his dirt-stained uniform long after the last pitch Thursday, the kid who was playing college ball at Florida State at this time last year said he hadn’t had time to reflect on his whirlwind journey to the big leagues.
“I have not,” Smith said. “I was just out there with my family on the field appreciating this day and ... good thing we got done early so I can go home and get my feet under myself and think about it.”
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