The Houston Astros have dealt 29-year old righty swinging outfielder Justin Maxwell to the Royals for 20-year old righty starting pitcher Kyle Smith. Maxwell played in 40 games for the Astros this year and he was 33 for 137 (.241 avg, .698 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Maxwell played in 164 games in his two years with the Astros and he was 105 of 452 (.232 avg, .744 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 20 homers, 61 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Kyle Smith came into this season as the #12 prospect in the Royals’ organization according to Baseball America. Smith pitched in 19 games (all starts) in A-ball for the Royals this year and he was 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Smith has given up only 93 hits and 29 walks while whiffing 96 batters in his first 104 1/3 innings in the minors this year, which is impressive. Smith has now pitched in 33 games (all starts) in his first two years in the minors and he is 10-7 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. This was an outstanding deal for the Astros, as they got a good prospect for a backup player.
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