Caminiti eager, ‘willing to put in the work’ with Braves
Mark Bowman
This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK — Cam Caminiti loves the fact that he has joined an organization that hasn’t been afraid to quickly promote its top young pitchers over the past few years. The first-round selection (24th overall) has already proven he is more than willing to accelerate his development.
A little more than a year ago, Caminiti exited his sophomore year at Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro High School and decided he was ready to graduate one year later. Instead of having to wait until 2025, he became eligible for this year’s Draft. The 17-year-old hurler was one of the youngest players available when the Braves took him.
“[The Braves] like to move guys fast if they perform,” Caminiti said. “I’m willing to put in the work and perform the best I can. Eventually, I hope I can make it up to the big league level and play in this beautiful big league park.”
Caminiti’s whirlwind tour brought him to Truist Park on Tuesday, when he met the current Braves and he signed for $3,556,300. A little more than a week earlier, he was present for the Draft at Fort Worth’s Cowtown Coliseum. Now, he finds himself at the Braves’ Spring Training complex in North Port, Fla., preparing to begin his pro career.
“It’s been a wild ride these past couple weeks,” Caminiti said. “I’m just glad everything fell into place.”
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis both predicted Caminiti would be taken by the Giants with the 13th overall selection. The slot value for the 13th pick was $5,272,300.
But, ending up with the best organizational fit can prove profitable for a player long after that initial signing bonus is received.
Caminiti could soon rank as the top prospect within a pitching-heavy farm system, much like Braves No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 66 overall A.J. Smith-Shawver and Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect and No. 68 overall Hurston Waldrep. Atlanta’s pitching crop also includes Spencer Schwellenbach, Owen Murphy and J.R. Ritchie.
It remains to be seen how many of these upside prospects taste success with Atlanta, let alone at the Major League level. But homegrown starting pitchers remain the game’s top commodities. So, if you haven’t heard, you can never have enough of them.
“The Braves are a great organization and they’re known for their pitching development,” Caminiti said. “That’s really exciting for me. I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
