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The Twins certainly have a track record of selecting athletic high school players with a tool box filled with potential. Twenty two years ago, the Twins selected a very raw, talented outfielder from Little Rock, Arkansas, who yesterday knocked his 200th home run in a Twins uniform.
Most scouts also will give a second (or third, or fourth, or…) look at a player with big league bloodlines. A year ago, the Twins used their first-round pick on Nick Gordon, the son of big league pitcher Tom Gordon, and the brother of Marlins 2B Dee Gordon.
Also, Georgia has been a hotbed for baseball prospects for the last decade, and the Twins have several picks from the state. They used a second-round pick on Niko Goodrum in 2010. In 2012, the Twins selected Byron Buxton with the second overall pick in the draft out of his high school in Georgia.
Who Is This Guy?
Daz Cameron is well known in the national youth baseball circuit. He’s played on some national teams. He has put up stats and has all the tools. When you read about him, it is likely that one of the first things you’ll be told is that he is the son of former big league outfielder Mike Cameron. Fair or not, that likely puts a little more pressure on the 18-year-old.
Daz Cameron graduated from Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He hit .392 as a freshman. As a sophomore, he hit .434 with seven home runs. His senior season just recently ended. He hit .455 with 10 doubles and eight home runs. He also stole 19 bases.
Listed at 6-0 and 186 pounds, Cameron has a commitment to Florida State University.
We do have to mention that Mike Cameron had a solid career. He spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues, spending time with the White Sox, Reds, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Brewers, Red Sox and Marlins. He played in an All-Star game. It surprised me to learn that he won only three Gold Gloves because he was known for his great defense. Though he hit just .249, he had a career OPS of .782 and hit home runs.
Right or wrong, blood lines matter. Teams are looking for the next Ken Griffey, Jr., who Mike Cameron was once traded for.
Why the Twins Will Pick Him
As we pointed out in the lead, Cameron fits in a lot of categories that the Twins historically have liked in top draft picks.
The blood lines are important. Obviously part of that is simply genetics, but it is more than just that. It’s understanding the life style. It’s having been in big league clubhouses, watching big leaguers prepare for games and not being overwhelmed by something they haven’t necessarily seen before. It also means that he has connections with people who have been where he wants to be. He will have coaches, but he can also talk to his father about things he is going through.
But bigger than the blood lines, the draft is all about the tools. Daz Cameron has all of the tools. His upside is that of a five-tool talent. When the Twins drafted Buxton in 2012, he was known as having five-tool potential, but his “hit” tool was reportedly the weakest. For Cameron, the belief is that the “hit” tool is his strongest. A Perfect Game report claims Cameron “can flat-out hit.”
He is believed to be not as athletic as his father was as a prospect, but he is said to be much more polished. Cameron will have power. He has very good, though not elite, speed. He plays good defense and can play center field. He also was clocked as throwing 90 mph from the outfield. He is said to have a good approach at the plate.
People also talk about his maturity and poise. That would also stand out to scouts and front office types.
Why the Twins Will Not Pick Him
Daz Cameron is represented by advisor Scott Boras. Reports have come out that the Boras/Cameron Camp are looking for big money, well over slot for the #6 spot in the draft. A team drafting Cameron will likely have to pay the extra cost to sign him. To do so, that team will need to be creative with the rest of their Top 10 picks to have the necessary money. The Twins draft pool (top 10 picks) is just shy of $7.4 million, so if Cameron wants $6 million, it will make it tough for the Twins to sign many more of their top ten picks without drafting several college seniors.
The Twins don’t make their second draft choice until the 73rd overall pick, so they will not have much for extra funds. Also, it would not be good if the Twins made a pick and were unable to sign the player, even though they would wind up with the #7 pick in next year’s draft if that did happen.
OF course, all this doesn’t include the fact that from a talent standpoint, it is very possible that he will have already been drafted by the time the Twins pick at six. In fact, he could very well be taken in the top three picks.
Over the last two weeks, Twins Daily has profiled several players that the team could draft with the #6 pick in the 2015 draft. Most have been college pitchers, but we have profiled a couple of high school outfielders as well. When it comes to what the Twins typically look for in a draft pick, Daz Cameron fits the mold. Will he be there when the Twins pick, and if so, will the Twins risk being able to sign him? What do you think?
Previous Twins Daily Draft Profiles:
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